Mammalogy Lecture Final

Made based off notes and Study guide questions

What are the gliding mammals

In order dermoptera; family Cynocephalidae (colugos)

What are the traits of gliding mammals (cynocephalidae;colugos)

Have extensive patagium (flap of skin). Long clawed feet, keeled sternum, lower incisors are procumbent and pectinate

• Have single young and can glide up to 100m.

What are the fossorial mammals?

Family Chrysochloridae (golden moles), geomyidae (pocket gophers), heterocephalidae (naked mole rats), and Talpidae (moles, desmans)

What are the traits of fossorial mammals

• No ears, eyes under skin, and huge auditory ossicles to detect prey. 

• reduced visual and auditory, but enhanced tactile and olfactory. Have large digging claws and torso. Also loose skin and short fur.

What are the features of semi-aquatic mammals?

• slick bodies to reduce friction in water, shorter necks and limbs, webbed feet, flat tails, blubber (thick fat), water repellant fur, enhanced whiskers, ears and nostrils that close

• Higher lung capacity to hold breath to dive. Countercurrent heat exchange in limbs.

What are features of fully aquatic mammals?

• Highly modified body for aquatic life; fusiform body shape, no fur, no external ears, valvular nostrils, flippers and dense skeleton. Thick blubber.

Adaptations of EARED seals (sea lions)

Have external pinnae (ear) and hind limbs that rotate forward. They use their forelimbs for propulsion. Are usually heavily furred and strongly sexually dimorphic. Skin goes further than their phalanges.

• can walk on land

Adaptations of earLESS seals

Have no external ears, feet can’t face forward. Move on land by shuffling and mostly use feet as propulsion. 

• can’t walk on land. streamlined torpedo shaped body with hind flippers that go backward. No ears to reduce drag

Adaptations of Manatees

highly modified body for aquatic life (fusiform body shape, no fur, no external ears, valvular nostrils, flippers and dense skeleton)

• paddle shaped tail for propulsion

Adaptations for whales

Huge streamlined bodies with horizontal tail flukes and limbs modified into flippers.

• have extreme breath holding abilities and blow hole. Lots of oxygen stored in blood and muscle

Examples of convergent evolution

• blubber, flippers, and tail propulsion in many of the aquatic mammals, such as order carnivora: family phocidae (earless seals) and Order sirenia: family trichechidae (manatee)

• Long tongue, long nose, and myrmecophagy (ant eating) is good example for order pilosa: family myrmecophagidae (ant eaters) and order Pholidota: family manidae (pangolin)

• Pack behavior in order carnivora: family hyaenidae (spotted hyaena) and order carnivora: family canidae (wolves)

Order macroscelidea

Elephant shrews

• terrestrial, cursorial, diurnal or crepuscular, long-flexible sensitive snout

• Family Macroscelididae

Family Macroscelididae

Elephant shrew

• terrestrial, cursorial, diurnal or crepuscular, long-flexible sensitive snout

• Ecology: desert, brush, forest, rocky habitats. Hyperactive but use torpor, maintain complex trail system, invertivore or omnivore, and monogamous.

• Conservation: least concern to endangered

• Economy: food source for people and used for malaria research

Order: Tubulidentata

Aardvark

• adaptations for eating ants; long nose, long sticky tongue, reduced dentition, big strong claws, hair tufts protect nose during digging, and acute smell.

• family Orycteropodidae

Family Orycteropodidae

Aardvark

• adaptations for eating ants; long nose, long sticky tongue, reduced dentition, big strong claws, hair tufts protect nose during digging, and acute smell.

• Ecology: All habitats, maintains extensive burrow system for thermoregulation. Mostly eats ants and excavates ant mounds. Nocturnal, traveling up to 30km a night to forage. Single young after 7 months of gestation. 

• Conservation: no concern

• Economy: used for bush meat and jewelry

Order: Proboscidea

Elephants

• trunk, tusks, large size, multiple skeletal adaptations, cheek teeth etc.

• family Elephantidae

Family Elephantidae

Elephants

• graviportal but digitigrade locomotion. Adaptations for thermoregulation; sparse fur, large ears, wrinkly skin, and drink a lot. They have low efficiency digestion and are found in Africa, India, and South Asia

• Ecology: all habitats, complex matriarchal social system, very late breeding and long estrous cycle, and complex communication.

• Conservation: population level management, lots of issues. 

• Economy: ivory, beast of burden, crop pests

Order Hyracoidea

Hyraxes

• All herbivorous, hypsodont dentition, unique 2 caecum digestion, very short tails, and elastic pads on feet and secretory glands for traction.

• Family Procaviidae

Family Procaviidae

Hyraxes

• extremely sure footed

• Distribution: Africa and Middle east

• Ecology: either rocky arid regions or forests. Diurnal or nocturnal. Colonial or solitary. Estrus once a year, gestation 8 months, 1-4 young, precocial young. 

• Conservation: least concern but declining

• Economy: hunted for meat and fur. Guano is used for perfume and paleo for studies.

Order Sirenia

Dugong and Manatees

• All herbivorous, all coastal shallow seas/rivers, highly modified body for aquatic life (fusiform body shape, no fur, no external ears, valvular nostrils, flippers and dense skeleton)

• Family Trichechidae

Family Trichechidae

Manatees

• Rounded tail fluke, only cheek teeth present, mesial drift. 

• Distribution: Coastal Atlantic

• Ecology: very slow reproductive rate, generally solitary, feed on soft to harder vegetation. 

• Conservation: declining populations due to loss of feeding grounds, boat wounds, and entanglement

• Economy: previously hunted

Order Cingulata

Armadillos

• Reduced dentition, Ossified dermal scutes, carapace supported by vertebrae.

• Family Dasypodidae

Family Dasypodidae

Armadillo

• girdled carapace supported on vertebrae, low tolerance to cold, monozygotic polyembryony

• Distribution: Warmer latitudes of western hemisphere

• Ecology: low body temp and metabolic rate. Feed on inverts, some plants, carrion, ants, and termites

• Conservation: none threated

• Economy: agricultural pest, biomedical research for leprosy

Order Pilosa

sloths and ant-eaters

• dentition reduced, heavily furred, heavily clawed feet, small ears, valvular nostrils, and low reproductive capacity.

• Family Bradypodidae

• Family Myrmecophagidae

Family Bradypodidae

3 toed sloth

• cylindrical dentine teeth, three toes on front feet, additional cervical vertebrae (8-9)

• Distribution: honduras through brazil

• Ecology: single young once per year, very slow metabolism and digestion, folivores, symbiosis between sloths and algae, descend to ground to defecate

• Conservation: threatened or endangered due to habitat loss. 

• Economy: none

Family Myrmecophagidae

Ant eater

• edentate, long tapered skulls, long sticky tongues with barbs

• Distribution: mexico through paraguay

• Ecology: Anteaters, active day and night, litter size of one.

• Conservation: threatened due to habitat loss, hunting, and fires

• Economy: none

Order Dermoptera

Colugos

• gliders (glissant), extensive patagium (flap of skin). Long clawed feet, keeled sternum, lower incisors are procumbent and pectinate

• Family Cynocephalidae

Family Cynocephalidae

Colugos

• gliders (glissant), extensive patagium (flap of skin). Long clawed feet, keeled sternum, lower incisors are procumbent and pectinate

• Ecology: Single young, altricial. Very efficient gliders up to 100m. Generalist folivores, solitary, pectinate incisors for scraping food and grooming. 

• Conservation: threatened due to habitat loss

• Economy: hunted for fur and food

Order: Scandentia

Tree shrews

•  social monogamy, arboreal, share many features with primates

• Family Tupaiidae

Family Tupaiidae

Tree shrew

• diurnal and arboreal, tooth comb lower incisors, squirrel like, and equal limb length

• Distribution: oriental realm

• Ecology: absentee maternal care, social monogamy, highly territorial, omnivorous

• Conservation: threatened/ endangered due to habitat loss

• Economy: none, may help disperse seeds

Order: Primates

• Have opposable thumbs, digits w/ nails (not claws), fingerprints, plantigrade, have a clavicle. Binocular eyes but worse smell.

• Family: Lemuridae

• Family: Daubentoniidae

• Family: Lorisidae

• Family: Cebidae

• Family: Cercophitecidae

• Family: Hylobatidae

• Family: Hominidae

Family Lemuridae

Lemurs

• smaller eyes w/ longer muzzle, hinds limbs are long and strong, using clinging and leaping locomotion. 

• Distribution: in Madagascar

• Ecology: Arboreal, herbivores/folivores, diurnal or crepuscular, are socially gregarious

Family Daubentoniidae

Aye-Aye

• continuously growing incisors, long wire-like claw on middle finger 

• Arobreal, omnivorous, claws extract grubs and fruit. Endangered through habitat loss

• Economy: none, mythical to locals

Family Lorisidae

Lorises, Potto

•  tails are short or absent, with large eyes. Slow moving but are climbers with opposable thumbs. 

• Distribution: Ethiopian and oriental realms

• Make venom for various uses. 

• Economy: used for pet trade

Family Cebidae

New world monkeys

• tails long, flared and prehensile. Long limbs medium sized

• Distribution: tropical central and south america

• Arboreal, diurnal, groups of 5-500. Vocal and social, normally a dominant male. Omnivorous.

• Common to critically endangered, no impact on economy.

Family Cercophitecidae

Old world monkeys

• Large canines and powerful jaw muscles. Bright colors and strong facial expressions. 

• Africa and S. Asia

• Highly variable life histories, range of body sizes small to large and variable habitats. 

Family Hylobatidae

Gibbons, siamang

• No tails, super long arms for brachiating and long fingers for grasping. Have opposable thumbs. 

• SE asia forest

• Endangered to critically endangered due to habitat loss. 

• Frugivores and folivores, live in family groups and monogamy. Are territorial and vocal. 

Family Hominidae

Great apes

• Large, have sexual dimorphism

• Africa and S.E. Asia

• Mostly terrestrial, solitary to harems. Polygamous to polygynous. Herbivorous to omnivorous. Complex social structure. 

• Critically endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, disease.

Order Lagomorpha

Rabbits, hares, pikas

• They’re small → medium, herbivores, peg-like second incisors behind chisel like front incisors. Hypsodont cheek teeth, teeth are ever growing. Feet fully furred. Coprophagous = double eating your food. Eat once, poop it out, eat it again.

• Family Leporidae

Family Leporidae

Hare-like

• Have a fenestrated maxilla; its like a network of holes. Incisors without a notch. Supraorbital process on frontal bone. Large ears, long hindlimbs. 

• They’re worldwide except for Australia. 

• Hares vs. rabbits: hares have a supraorbital process kind of sticking out. Hares also generally have a larger skull. 

• Super fast runner. Hares give birth to babies that are basically up and ready, and born in a divot in the ground (precocial). 

• Rabbits give birth to altricial kits in nests or warrens that need to be taken care of.

Order Rodentia

Gnawers

• Make up 44% of all mammals, with about 2,500 species.

• Single pair of large upper and lower incisors, open rooted and chisel like. They have no canines, reduced dental formulae, and a diastema

• Family: Castoridae

• Family: Geomyidae

• Family: Heteromyidae

• Family: Sciuridae

• Family: Zapodidae

• Family: Cricetidae

• Family: Muridae

• Family: Erethizontidae

• Family: heterocephalidae

Family Castoridae

Beavers

• Large flat tail, castor glands, and big. Have long guard hairs, thick underfur. Used to be more diverse and in fields and grassland. 

• Webbed feet, valvular nostrils and ears. Nictitating membrane (third eye lid)

• Aquatic ecosystem engineers, build lodges, active all year long. Store branches and eat bark, leaves, roots, etc. 

• Used for fur and castoreum in perfume.

Family Geomyidae

Pocket gophers

• Has fusiform bodies, are fossorial, reduced visual and auditory, but enhanced tactile and olfactory. Have large digging claws and torso. Also loose skin and short fur. 

• Eat roots and tubers. Have extensive tunnel systems. Big ecosystem engineers that maintain meadows.

family Heteromyidae

Kangaroo rats, pocket mice

• Have desert adaptations, trend towards bipedal locomotion, furred cheek bouches and big auditory bullae. 

• Found in west N. America through tropical S. America

• Nocturnal, granivores, don’t need to drink, and are mostly solitary.

Family Sciuridae

Squirrels

• Pointy post-orbital process on skulls, rounded skull, normally bushy tails. 

• Tree dwelling to semi-fossorial. Gliders, climbers, diggers, and many hibernate. A bunch of species in between ground squirrels and tree squirrels. Some colonial, some solitary. Diurnal to nocturnal. 

• Chipmunks have stripes all across the body, while squirrels won’t have stripes up the head.

Family zapodidae

jumping mice

• Very long hind limbs and tails. 

• Nocturnal, omnivorous, hibernates for a long time. Mostly solitary, great jumpers, found in mesic or wetland habitats.

Family Cricetidae

New world voles, mice

• Highly variable synapomorphies. 

• Super diverse, 145 genera with 792 species

• Found in all habitats with most feeding types. 50 are endangered

• Many are pests, some are ecosystem service, pet trade, food source. Reservoirs for disease

Family Muridae

Old world rats and mice

• Most diverse family of mammals; 159 genera and 800+ species

• Very similar to Cricetidae; all habitats, most feeding types. 

• Rats and mice are so important because they’ve been used so much for medical research and testing. 

Family Erethizontidae

New world porcupines

• Have barbed loose-rooted spines, are semi arboreal, some with prehensile tails. 

• Virtually in all habitats and generalist herbivores. Have 1 precocial porcupette (baby) after 7 months of gestation.

Family heterocephalidae

Naked mole rat

• Monotypic; heterocephalus glaber. 

• Is fossorial, small, and has protruding incisors. Has similar morphology to the other fossorial mammals. 

• Eusocial and colonial. They work together for burrowing, defense, and reproduction. There’s a queen matriarch with workers and breeding males. 

• Pretty useful for science because of their weird ecology. Live a really long time, resistant to pain and cancer, and insensitive to low O2.

Order Eulipotyphla

• Etymology = “truly fat and blind” is kinda wrong because they’re pure muscle almost, don’t hibernate, and aren’t blind really. 

• Tend to have ancestral mammalian traits; small → medium, pentadactyl, plantigrade, long pointed snouts and carnivorous dentition.

• Eyes and ears are usually small or absent. Small braincase, NO auditory bullae, incomplete zygomatic arch and rooted teeth. 

• Found all over the world except for Australia, New Zealand, and oceanic islands.

• Family: Soricidae

• Family: Talpidae

Family Soricidae

Shrews

• Small eyes, long-pointed rostrum. Huge whiskers, no zygomatic arch. Have musky lateral glands. 

• Insectivores, mostly in mesic areas. Have 1 year lifespan. Many are threatened or endangered. 

• 450 species.

Family Talpidae

moles, desmans

• Fusiform bodies, short strong limbs, short smooth fur. Ears and eyes reduced or absent. Have keeled sternum and mechanosensory organs on nose. 

• Extensive underground tunnel network. Are aquatic, terrestrial, or entirely fossorial. Some use echolocation.

Order Carnivora

• Hunting morphology; have bigger canines for shearing, simple guts, high brain/body mass ratio. Solitary in smaller species but in packs in larger species. 

• Reproduction is usually small litters, altricial young, long parental investment to teach how to hunt

• Dentition: the back premolar is further back in hyper carnivores. Big cats and hyaenas have it far back, while things like bears have it further forward. Have heavy skull bones with C shaped mandibular fossa to give a stronger bite. 

• Used by people as pets, for fur/skin, used to control pests

• Family Felidae

• Family Hyaenidae

• Family Canidae

• Family Usidae

• Family Mustelidae

• Family Mephitidae

• Family Procyonidae

• Family Otariidae

• Family phocidae

Family Felidae

Cats

• Short rostrum, reduced # of post carnassial teeth. Have a powerful bite and roar and purr. Are semi-arboreal digitigrades with retractable claws. Have a rough sandpaper tongue and loose shoulder joints. 

• Worldwide

• Strictly carnivores, mostly nocturnal and ambush predators. Usually very camouflaged and solitary. 

• Short burst quick hunters

• Used for black market trade economy

Family hyaenidae

Hyaenas, aardwolves

• Big, large carnassials/canines. Have big robust skulls with long necks and forelimbs. Are digitigrades. Are super vocal and sometimes social. Feed on meat, bone, and carrion. 

• In grasslands, savannas, and deserts. 

Family Canidae

Dogs, wolves

• Medium to large. Long legs, digitigrade 4 toed. Short uniform fur and elongated rostrum. 

• Persistent, long distance runners

• Very variable social structures. Are chase-predators, often in packs. 

• Many have been very heavily hunted and some are endangered. 

• Strong association with humans. 

Family Ursidae

Bear

• Large, mostly omnivorous w/ generalized dentition. Is plantigrade. Found in N. and S. America, Eurasia, and N. Africa

• Are normally solitary. Omnivorous but not super well adapted for it. Hibernate in cold areas and young are often twins. 

• Hunted for hides, meat, fat

Family Mustelidae

Weasels, otters

• Small to large, long bodies and short limbs. Plantigrade or digitigrade. Developed carnivore dentition and enlarged anal scent glands. 

• Are worldwide except antarctica. 

• Terrestrial, to aquatic, to arboreal. Pelage dimorphism in some. Often induced ovulation. Many have been heavily hunted, some are endangered. 

• Used for fur trade

Family Mephitidae

Skunks and stink badgers

• Have scent glands w/ butylmercaptin. Are plantigrade, nocturnal, solitary animals with black and white pelage. 

• Omnivorous to carnivorous. Spray for defense.

Family Procyonidae

Raccoons

• Long bushy ringed tails and black face masks. Are plantigrade with generalized dentition. 

• In N. and S. America (mostly new world)

• Live in forests near water, are terrestrial to arboreal. Solitary to troops. Are omnivorous. Important for fur trade and pests of crops. Are bird predators

Family Otariidae

Eared seals (sea lions)

• Have external pinnae (ear) and hind limbs that rotate forward. They use their forelimbs for propulsion. Are usually heavily furred and strongly sexually dimorphic. Skin goes further than their phalanges.

• Feed on fish, squid, crustaceans. Are gregarious breeders  on remote rocky shores. Polygynous mating. Have a harem. 

• Found in pacific ocean, arctic, antarctic.

Family Phocidae

Earless seals

• Found worldwide. 

• Have no external ears, feet can’t face forward. Move on land by shuffling and mostly use feet as propulsion. 

• Eat fish and squid, and some crustaceans. In small groups and breed on remote islands and ice flows. 

• Heavily hunted for fur and meat

Order pholidota

• All are covered in keratinized epidermal scales that grow throughout their life. 

• All are edentate and instead have a strong tongue w/ associated muscles anchored to the pelvis. 

• Family Manidae

Family manidae

Pangolins

• Are medium → large w/ long prehensile tails. Have powerful clawed hands for digging, and reduced auditory, visual, and vocal acuity. Terrestrial or arboreal. Plantigrade and pentadactyl. 

• All are endangered or critically endangered

• They’re very valuable and the highest hunted mammal for illegal trade. Scales used for alternative medicine, skins valuable, hunted for meat, and declines due to forest clearing and burning.

Order Chiroptera

• 2nd most diverse group of mammals after rodents

• Highly diverse feeding, repro., behavior, and morphology. Flight and echolocation are 2 key innovations for diversification into multiple niches

• True flight, wings with extensive patagia. Have limited repro. Of 1-2 offspring a year. Have long lifespan of up to 30 years. 

• Super useful in the ecosystem as a consumer of insects and pollinators of plants. Most are insectivorous

• Have small hind limbs and locking tendons in toes to hang upside down. 

• Long narrow wings are used for long flight and in open skies, while short wide wings are used to slowly maneuver around dense understories. 

• Echolocation: listen to returning echoes that show distance and movement. Send out high frequency pulses through the mouth or nose. 

• Roost in: caves, crevices, barks, overhangs, bridges, or hanging vegetation

• A bunch of families

Family Pteropodidae

Old world fruit bats

• No echolocation or associated features, mostly navigated by vision with big eyes. Teeth for fruit and have a ridged palate.

• Mostly nocturnal, fly long distances to find fruit

Family Molossidae

Free tailed bats

• Large ears meet on the forehead and point forward. Have tragus and no nose leaf. The tail extends beyond uropatagium. 

• Insectivorous, forage at high altitude and roost in colonies of over 20Mil.

Family Vespertillionidae

vesper bats

• Largest family of bats. Usually small and generalized body form. Some have huge ears. 

• Insectivorous, hibernate in winter, solitary less than 1000.

Order Perissodactyla

Odd toed ungulates

• Group ungulates. Includes hooved mammals and whales 

• Head ornamentation: everything in this group has something like horn or antlers. 

• All are large terrestrial herbivores and hindgut fermenters. 3 extant families but used to be way more diverse. 

• Odd toed refers to them standing on their middle/third digit

• Have variable numbers of digits on their feet . Have pulley-like groove on ankle bone. Elongated skulls. Simple stomach but enlarged caecum. Not very efficient digestion.

• Family Equidae

• Family Rhinocerotidae

Family Equidae

Horses

• Only the 3rd digit on limbs is functional. Evolved in N. america. Found in E. Africa and the Middle East to Asia. 

• In grassland to savanna near water.

Family Rhinocerotidae

Rhino

• Have a graviportal gait and horn made from compressed hair. Tusks in Asian species and very tough hide. 

• Grazers or browsers, solitary, long lived. All are critically endangered cause of hunting and habitat loss.

Order Certartiodactyla

• Even toed ungulates and whale

• All are big herbivores that trend towards unguligrade locomotion. Most have head ornamentation. All stand on third or fourth digit. 

• Have simple to complex foregut stomachs and pulley-like groove on ankle bone. 

• Have been important to humans just like horses. Major beasts of burden, meat, sport hunting, and hides.

• Family Suidae

• Family Cervidae

• Family Antilocapridae

• Family Bovidae

Family Suidae

Pigs

• Have simple stomachs and large canines that always grow and curve out and up. Have short legs and heavy bodies. Thick skin and course pelage. 

• Are omnivores associated with mud wallows. Are gregarious diurnal herbivores.

Family cervidae

Deer

• Have sexual dimorphism; deciduous antlers usually only in males. Shed following rut and regrown in spring. Are important for display and fighting and defense.

Family Antilocapridae

pronghorn

• Have barrel shaped bodies with long thin legs. Are the fastest new world mammal. 

• Herds of grazers and browsers in dry regions of grassland and shrubland. Have had a decline since 1800s. Migrate between summer and winter.

Family Bovidae

Horned ungulates

• Have pair of horns with bone core. Broadly distributed across the world. 

• Are herbivorous in multiple habitats.

Rodentia background info

• Make up 44% of all mammals, with about 2,500 species

• The taxonomy is in a constant flux

• They have a worldwide distribution except for antarctica, new Zealand, and Oceanic realm

• Lots of convergence among groups

• Found in all biomes and are often commensal w/ humans

Specific major traits of carnivores and their economic importance

• meat eaters.

• Have hunting morphology: have bigger canines for shearing, simple guts, high brain/body mass ratio. Solitary in smaller species but in packs in larger species. 

• Reproduction is usually small litters, altricial young, long parental investment to teach how to hunt

• Found worldwide except for New Zealand and oceanic realm

• Economic importance: Used as pets, for fur, to control pests, and have conflict with humans.

Gradation in carnivores skulls/dentition for different life histories

• the back premolar is further back in hyper carnivores. Big cats and hyaenas have it far back, while things like bears have it further forward. Have

• Have longer canines and specialized 4th upper pre molar

• Have C-shaped mandibular fossa and heavy bone skulls.

Major differences in form and function of terrestrial mammals

• Horses, rhinos, tapirs: run unguligrade on 1 (horse) or 3 toes. Have long reduced limbs for quick speed but reduced low maneuverability

• Bats: flight with forelimbs extended for wings but backwards feet so they can’t walk too well.

• Pengolins: walking on knuckles with big claws good for digging but can’t defend much

• Most in carnivora (dogs, cats, bears) walk on their palms (plantigrade) and have lots of speed and agility

• shrews, moles, and hedgehogs are good for digging and going through thick areas.

• Rodents are flexible and versatile, move on palms

• Rabbits (lagomorpha) hop for speed and jumping/zig zagging

• Primates have long arms and gripping hands/feet to swing and jump quickly and efficiently

• tree shrews are pretty basic with long back limbs and plantigrade feet.

• Colugos glide and have the big skin for it but aren’t good on the ground.

• Sloths have long arms and claws and move slowly to save energy and stay high in trees

Differences between Otariidae and Phocidae

• Otariidae have outer ears (phocidae don’t).

• Otariidae have hind limbs that rotate forward and allow galloping and walking

• Phocidae hind limbs permanently go backward and can’t walk on land.

• Otariidae use forelimbs for propulsion, phocidae mostly use feet for propulsion

Key differences between perissodactyla and Certartiodactyla

• Perissodactyla has odd number of toes (1 or 3) and certartiodactyla has even number (2 or 4)

• Perissodactyla: elongated skulls. Simple stomach but enlarged caecum. Not very efficient digestion. Hindgut fermenter

• Certartiodactyla: All are big herbivores that trend towards unguligrade locomotion. All stand on third or fourth digit. Have simple to complex foregut stomachs and pulley-like groove on ankle bone. Foregut fermenter

Trends in Perissodactyla evolutionary history in form and function

• started with shorter limbs and more digits, but over time developed elongated limbs

• Overtime grew larger and diversity declined

• Increased endurance and running over time

Examples of how domesticated ungulates developed over time for human use

Beasts of burden; used for battle, for farming, pulling carts and cars. Also carrying heavy things for people.

Similarities between bovidae, cervidae, and antilocapridae

• Even toed ungulates

• cursorial, herbivore

• foregut fermentation

Differences between bovidae, cervidae, and antilocapridae

• bovidae have unbranched horns, cervidae have big branched antlers that regrow/shed, and antilocapridae have branched horns.

• Mostly males in cervidae have horns, both male and female in antilocapridae have horns, and typically both bovidae have horns

Echolocation in toothed whales?

• phonic lips on nares make clicks or whistles. The sound is then projected by the skull and the melon

  • The sound is received in the sinus of the mandible and focuses on the sound using isolated auditory bullae and asymmetrical skull

Major differences between toothed and baleen whales

• toothed have true teeth, baleen have no teeth.

• Baleen whale has baleen plates to filter prey, while toothed whales eat prey

• Toothed whales use echolocation while baleen use eyesight and sound

• Baleen has 2 blowholes, toothed has 1

• Toothed are generally smaller and baleen are huge

Features of flying mammals

• echolocation: have advanced hearing to help navigate environment

• flight adaptations: wings allow for flexibility and tight turns, as well as true flight with forelimbs

• morphological features: extreme elongation of limbs, lots of propatagium (skin) for wings, light bones, and strong flight muscles.

• life history of this group: single litter, long gestation, live really long time

Bat roost types

• caves: constant temp, cool, for hibernation

• crevices: variable temperature and behavioral thermoregulation

• bark: ambient temperature, usually temporary roost

• overhangs: midnight breaks or temporary roosts

Why are bats good/bad to have around

Pros: bats are natural pest control, pollinators, indicators of healthy ecosystem

Cons: bats are disease reservoirs, disturb buildings, scare people, can damage crops