mammals
jlynch | November 22, 2006
This illustration of a rather jovial looking Bradypus tridactylus (three-toed sloth) comes from Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber's Die Saugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen ['Mammals Illustrated after Nature with Descriptions', 1774, Vol I II & III].
(HT to BibliOdyssey)
jlynch | November 13, 2006RPM writes that "they're not as stupid as we thought they were."
This seems apt:
jlynch | October 12, 2006
Another new species has been discovered. This one is a little special as it's the first new terrestrial mammal to be discovered in Europe in quite a while. It is Mus cypriacus, the Cypriot mouse. Thomas Cucchi, the discoverer, states:
"All other endemic mammals of Mediterranean islands died out following the arrival of man, with the exception of two species of shrew. The new mouse of Cyprus is the only endemic rodent still alive, and as such can be considered as a living fossil."
Full source: Cucchi et al. (2006) "A new endemic species of the subgenus Mus (Rodentia, Mammalia) on the Island…
jlynch | October 9, 2006
The endangered jaguar (Panthera onca) is making a partial comeback in the Southwest. As this article notes, sightings have become more frequent over the past decade as males are crossing over from Mexico. Needless to say, conservationists are worried about the effect of the 700 mile Bush's Border Boondoggle on not only the jaguar but other species.
Picture by permission of the Northern Jaguar Project
jlynch | July 10, 2006Which mammal embarks on the longest remaining overland migration in the continental United States?
The pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana)), which travels more than 400 miles between fawning grounds in Yellowstone and wintering areas. Second only to caribou in the Arctic for long distance migration in the Western Hemisphere, this isolated population (of 200 to 300 animals) and its ancient migration route could disappear because of continued development and human disturbance outside the parks according to a study which appears in Biology Letters.
See Berger, Cain & Berger (2006) "…
jlynch | June 14, 2006
This may not look like much, but it's rare, very rare. The World Wildlife Fund yesterday announced that a motion-triggered camera captured the first every photo of a wild Sumatran rhino in Borneo. There are believed to perhaps be only 13 Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni on the island. The main reasons for the drop in rhino numbers are illegal hunting and the fact that the remaining rhinos are so isolated they may rarely or never meet to breed. In addition, there is evidence that a high proportion of the female rhinos on Borneo have reproductive problems. Many of the remaining rhinos are…
jlynch | June 13, 2006The first photos and video have been taken of a live Laotian rock rat (Laonastes aenigmamus), described in a scientific journal for the first time last year. It may be the only living species in its family, which scientists previously believed went extinct 11 million years ago. See here for a press release and here for video.
jlynch | June 6, 2006If you really think about it, fetuses are parasites: A host is invaded, blood flow is altered, hormones are introduced to prevent miscarriage, and the host's (a.k.a. mother's) immune system needs to be depressed to prevent rejection. The parasite wants to remain in utero as long as possible, the host wants birth to occur as early as possible. A sunny, romantic way to look at motherhood, eh?
A forthcoming paper in The American Naturalist argues that that mammalian species with invasive placentas (as we primates have, along with, for example, most rodents and lagomorphs), can successfully…
jlynch | May 31, 2006This
is a marmot - essentially a giant squirrel - which eats grass, leaves, flowers, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs. Apparently, they are overrunning Prosser (Wa), and people are worried about their pets: "Can you imagine what they'd do to cats?" asked resident Dick Bain.
Yes, Dick, I can. They'd do absolutely nothing to cats, they're rodents. Even a capybara at 70 to 170 pounds wouldn't take out a cat. Scheesh! Then again. there is one imaginary rodent that can take out any cat.
jlynch | May 17, 2006This little guy is Brachylagus idahoensis (Merriam, 1891), the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, the smallest rabbit species in North America, and found in Douglas County in north-central Washington.
Sadly, the species is doomed. The last male purebred rabbit died March 30th, leaving just two females in a captive breeding program; none are believed to exist in the wild..
Another picture is here.
jlynch | April 27, 2006From Duke University:
Paleontologists at the Duke Lemur Center have assembled a new picture of a 35-million-year-old fossil mammal -- and they even have added a hint of sound.
By painstakingly measuring hundreds of specimens of a fossil mammal called Thyrohyrax, recovered from the famous fossil beds of Egypt's Fayum Province, the researchers determined that males of this now-extinct species -- and only males -- had oversized, swollen lower jaws shaped much like a banana. Further, the team speculated, the animals may have used the balloonlike structural chamber that shaped their bizarre jaws…