Helminths of the shrew-mole Neurotrichus gibbsii (Baird) in Oregon.

Evolutionary Insights from a Genetically Divergent Hantavirus Harbored by the European Common Mole (Talpa europaea)

BACKGROUND The discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses in shrews (Order Soricomorpha, Family Soricidae) from widely separated geographic regions challenges the hypothesis that rodents (Order Rodentia, Family Muridae and Cricetidae) are the primordial reservoir hosts of hantaviruses and also predicts that other soricomorphs harbor hantaviruses. Recently, novel hantavirus genomes have been...

Body oxygen stores, aerobic dive limits and diving behaviour of the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) and comparisons with non-aquatic talpids.

The dive performance, oxygen storage capacity and partitioning of body oxygen reserves of one of the world's smallest mammalian divers, the star-nosed mole Condylura cristata, were investigated. On the basis of 722 voluntary dives recorded from 18 captive star-nosed moles, the mean dive duration (9.2+/-0.2 s; mean +/- S.E.M.) and maximum recorded dive time (47 s) of this insectivore were compar...

Molecular phylogenetic relationships of moles, shrew moles, and desmans from the new and old worlds.

A Rich variety of anatomical and physiological specializations has enabled members of the family Talpidae (moles, shrew moles, and desmans) to exploit a diverse range of habitats: terrestrial, semi-aquatic, aquatic/fossorial, semi-fossorial, and fossorial. While numerous morphological and biochemical studies pertaining to the origin and radiation of the Talpidae have been completed, phylogeneti...

Major category: Biological Sciences Minor category: Medical Sciences Title: Molecular phylogeny of a newfound hantavirus in the Japanese shrew mole (Urotrichus talpoides) Running title: Hantavirus in the Japanese Shrew Mole Authors:

Recent molecular evidence of genetically distinct hantaviruses in shrews, captured in widely separated geographical regions, corroborates decades-old reports of hantavirus antigens in shrew tissues. Apart from challenging the conventional view that rodents are the principal reservoir hosts, the newly identified soricid-borne hantaviruses raise the possibility that other soricomorphs, notably ta...

Incidence of helminth parasites in shrew moles.