Mammalogy 1

Taxonomic Hagiarchy

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Subspecies

Articulation of Dentistry

Squamosal bones define mammals

Hard Palet

Allows for breathing and nursing at the same time for mammals

Enamel

Overlays Dentine

Open Rooted

Teeth are always growing

Endentate

No Teeth

Decidous Counterpar

Milk Teeth

Carnassial Pair

Upper Pre-Molar and First Molar

Found in carnivores

Diastema

Gap in dentition for chewing cud (Found in rodents and deer)

Biogeography

Study of past and present distribution of plants and animals

Palearctic Faunal Region

Europe, Russia, Asia & China

Largest Region

36 families

Nearctic Faunal Region

Artic to Central Mexico & Greenland

Fewest Families (31)

2 Endemic Families - Pronghorn & Mt. Beaver

Beringia Land Corridor

Connects Palearctic and Nearctic

Neotropical Faunal Region

Central Mexico to South America, included Caribbean Islands

56 families

Greatest number of endemics (29)

Afrotropical Faunal Region

Africa, the Sahara, and Madagascar

Most Families (58)

20 Endemic Families

Indo-Malayan Faunal Region

India, Malay Peninsula, Philippine Islands

Families (49)

8 Endemic

Wallace Line

Analyze Faunal Distribution

Between Oriental Region and Australia

Australasian Faunal Region

Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania

9 Families

21 Endemic

Antarctic Faunal Region

No Mammals

Oceanic Faunal Region

Largest number of terrestrial species/unit area

Continental Drift

1800s

Pangaea - Super Continent

Abiotic Processes

Plate Tectonics

Climate Change

Ice Ages

Refugia

Biotic Processes

Dispersal

Extinction

Diversification

Vicariance

Species that had a broad distribution may become fragmented and isolated due to physical barriers (continental drift)

Extant

Still in existence

Extinct

No longer in existence

Integument Skin

Role - Water Conservation, Insulation, Communication

Has three layers - epidermis, dermis, & hypodermis

Integument Hair

Unique to mammals

Tactile Organ

Hair Shaft Made of Dead Cells

Medulla (Center) Cortex (Surrounds) Cuticle (Outer Layer)

Angora Hair

Grows Continuously

Definitive Hair

Fixed Length then Sheds

Vibrissae

Tactile Hair - ex) Whiskers

Agouti Hair

Color Mixture - Bands of Pigment

Melanism

All Black

Sebaceous Gland

Hair Follicles

Secrete Oil

Inguinal

Nipple Location for Ungulates

Ambulatory

Walking

Digitigrade - on toes

Unguligrade - on hooves

Plantigrade - soles of feet

Saltatorial

Jumping

Hindlimbs only

Amble (Gait)

Swing foe and hind feet on the same side simultaneously (Giraffe)

Pronk (Gait)

All four feet hit the ground at the same time

Half Bound (Gait)

Back Feet move in unison but front feet staggered (Rabbits)

Fossorial

Live Primarily Underground

Scratch Digging

ex. Dog burying a bone

Chisel Tooth Digging

Gnawing incisors

ex. gophers

Humeral-Rotation Digging

Force comes from rotation of humerus

ex. Mole

Brachiation

Bipedal walk with hands

Glissant

Gliding

Volant

Flight

Only Bats

Echolocation

18% of Mammals

Brief Pulses of sound

Attenuated

Reduced intensity of echolocation in water

Polyphyletic

derived from more than one common evolutionary ancestor

Tragus

Structure of bat ear for echolocation

Echolocation in Cetaceans

travels through the melon - out

travels up the jaw to the ear - in