Validation of hair tubes for small mammal population studies

Species Identification Key of Korean Mammal Hair

The hair microstructures of Korean terrestrial mammals from 23 species (22 wild and one domestic) were analyzed using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to construct a hair identification key. The hairs were examined using the medulla structures and cuticular scales of guard hairs from the dorsal regions of mature adult animals. All cuticular scale structures in the hair of Rodentia, ...

Trait-demography relationships underlying small mammal population fluctuations.

Large-scale fluctuations in abundance are a common feature of small mammal populations and have been the subject of extensive research. These demographic fluctuations are often associated with concurrent changes in the average body mass of individuals, sometimes referred to as the 'Chitty effect'. Despite the long-standing recognition of this phenomenon, an empirical investigation of the underl...

Basic Orthopedics for the Small Mammal Patient

Orthopedic trauma in rabbits, rodents, and ferrets occurs from household accidents, injury from a falling object, a closing door, attacks from another animal, an owner stepping on an animal, or by poor cage design. After initial evaluation of other body systems, an orthopedic and neurologic examination is performed. Orthopedic trauma is rarely an emergency unless a spinal fracture is suspected....

Preliminary small mammal taphonomy of FLK

Why Mammal Body Hair Is an Evolutionary Enigma

*Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., Northwest State College 22-600 State Rt 34, Archbold, OH 43543 Received April 4, 2003; Revised October 13, 2003 Mammal body hair is a complex structure that involves several basic parts, including a shaft, a root, and a follicle. The most common theory currently in vogue is that hair evolved from reptile scales. Although both scales and hair preserve well in the fossil re...