rodentia gnawing mammals
DESCRIPTION
Rodentia Gnawing Mammals. - Andrew Marmo. Skull Characteristics . A pair of upper and lower incisors Single open root Continuously growing Enamel on outside and exposed dentine on inside Diastema between incisors and premolars. Order Rodentia. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Rodentia Gnawing Mammals
- Andrew Marmo
Skull Characteristics A pair of upper and
lower incisorsSingle open rootContinuously growing
Enamel on outside and exposed dentine on inside
Diastema between incisors and premolars
Order Rodentia Largest order of mammals with over
2000 species 40% of mammals are rodents Found on all continents except for
Antarctica Size and breeding cycle may be the
reason for their success.
Common House Mouse (Mus musculus)
Reach sexual maturity at about 4 weeks of age.
Breed year round 6 mice can turn into a family of 60 in 3
months
Cricetidae Includes true hamsters, voles, and New
World rats and mice. Almost 600 species Second largest family of mammals.-Largest in North America
Deer Mouse(Peromyscus maniculatus)
Inhabit nearly all types of land in PA
Eat seeds, berries, mushrooms, beetles, slugs, and spiders.
Name refers to their coats resemblance to a deer.
Southern Red-Backed Vole
(Clethrionomys gapperi) Found in much of upland PA
Favors cool damp forests with hemlocks, mossy rocks, and stumps
Climbs into low trees
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
Mainly found in wetlands
Can stay submerged for up to 17 minutes
Feed mostly on aquatic vegetation
Builds dome shaped huts
CastoridaeBeaver
Castor canadensis Largest rodent in NA Can way up to 70
lbs. One of the few
species that pair for life
Estimated 30,000 in PA. (PA GC)
ErethizontidaePorcupines
Erethizon dorsatum Second largest
rodent in PA Top speed is 2 miles
per hour Den in caves, rock
crevices, hollow logs, and trees
SciuridaeSquirrels
Includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, prairie dogs, flying squirrels, and woodchucks.
Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
Can run as fast as 14 mph and jump 6 feet between trees
Black coloration (melanism) is fairly common
Dens in tree cavities and leaf nests
Fox SquirrelSciuris niger
PA is northern extent of its range
Larger than Gray Squirrel
Rare in deep forests, prefers park-like woods
Red SquirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicuas
Prefers mature forests of white pine and hemlock
Eat everything from pine seeds to the young of birds
Store pinecones, nuts, and fruits in caches called middens
Southern Flying SquirrelGlaucomys volans
More common than northern flying squirrel in PA
Can sail up to 40 feet
Most predaceous of the tree squirrels
Eastern ChipmunkTamias striatus
Active in the day (diurnal)
Prefer open deciduous woods
Become torpid in the winter, respiration falls from 60 to less than 20 breaths per minute
Works Cited UCMP. Introduction to the Rodentia. .
<http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/rodentia/rodentia.html>.
NaturePhoto. Rodents. 2011. <http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/mammals/rodents.html>.
. Pennsylvania Wildlife. 08/22/10 . <http://pawild.net/home/show_con.php?p_id=14>.