Extant Diversity of Mammals as Compared to All Vertebrates

Transcription

1 Mammals of NE Indiana and Beyond Bruce Kingsbury Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne See the ERC website for color version with larger slides! Extant Diversity of Mammals as Compared to All Vertebrates 1

2 Major Groups of Mammals Prototheria: Monotremata Multituberculata Therians Methatheria: Marsupialia Eutheria Tertiary (~65) Cretaceous ( ~145) Jurassic (~200) Mammalian Characteristics and Diversity 2

3 Mammalian Features: Lactation Feature common to all extant mammals Only therians have nipples Mammary glands originally associated with the hair follicle Mammalian Features: Hair Vibrassae Piloerection Cold Communication of fear or anger Color from melanin Molting 3

4 Mammalian Features: Additional Glands Eccrine Feet and prehensile tail for grip Sweating in primates Sebaceous Condition hair with oily secretion Chemical communication Sweating in ungulates Apocrine Scent marking in combination with sebaceous Mammalian Features: Additional Integumentary Structures Horns, Antlers Nails, Hooves 4

5 Mammalian Features: Skeletal Anatomy Determinant growth Epiphyseal ossification Ankle Joint between tibia and astragulus Calcaneus Vertebrae 7 cervical Atlas/axis Mammalian Features: Teeth Triangular cusp pattern in mammals Therians add extra cusp above and below Shearing to begin Crushing follows 5

6 Major Lineages: Non therians vs. Therians Oviparity vs. viviparity Reorganization of scapula Loss of coracoid and interclavicle Allowed greater movement of scapula Muscular sling for pectoral girdle 6

7 Marsupials vs. Eutherians 7

8 Dentition Basic tooth anatomy Enamel Dentine Cementum Pulp Ancestral molars 3 cusps 8

9 Omnivore Brachyodont Low crowned Bunodont 4 tubercles that are rounded Herbivores Hypsodont High crowned molars Cement extends to crown Lophodont and selendont Cusps fuse to form ridges Variation in Molars 9

10 Ankle Joint Locomotory Specialization: Running Increase the length of the stride Proximal part of limb does not elongate Minimizes kinetic energy needed to oscillate limb 10

11 Turbo boost: Vertebral column flexion/extension Cheetah 60 kg individual can run 70 mph Flexion/extension maximizes stride length Horse Weighs 9 times more than cheetah Extension/flexion too costly Diversity: Montremata Echidna Terrestrial Eats ants and termites Protective spines Platypus Aquatic Hunts in turgid water Eats crustaceans, insect larvae that live in benthos 11

12 Monotremata Hunts with eyes, ears, and nose closed Duck bill used to detect electromagnetic field Devotes huge part of sensory region of brain to receptor processing Prey give off weak electric fields Wave bill side to side to triangulate prey Order Didelphimorphia» Opossum Class Mammalia Order Rodentia» Woodchuck, fox squirrel, chipmunk, muskrat, meadow vole Order Lagomorpha» Eastern cottontail Order Carnivora» Raccoon, coyote, red fox Order Insectivora» Eastern mole, short tailed shrew Order Artiodactyla» deer Order Chiroptera» bats 12

13 Order Didelphimorphia: Virginia Opossum, Didelphis virginiana Marsupial Omnivore Nocturnal Semiarboreal Prehensile tail Somewhat of an invasive on the back anthropogenic change Not a Possum (Australia) Opossum Tracks 13

14 Order Rodentia: Gnawing Mammals Have only 2 incisors above and 2 below There is a distinct space (diastema) between the incisors and the grinding teeth. Close relatives to rabbits and other Lagomorphs (coming soon) Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger Summer: leaf nests in tree crowns Winter: tree hollow, no hibernation Territorial Miss 10 20% of their nuts.... Contributes to forest regeneration Trees defend themselves with mast years 14

15 Squirrel Tracks What about black squirrels? Melanistic subgroup of the eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Black Squirrels are introduced 15

16 Woodchuck or Groundhog Marmota monax Giant squirrel related to marmots Mostly herbivorous Typically live 2 3 years Breed in early spring True hibernation in a sealed chamber Woodchuck Burrow The burrow is a fortress with 50 feet of tunnels running as deep as 16 feet Old burrows are used by numerous species 16

17 Eastern Chipmunk Tamius striatus Spend most of their time collecting food for the winter Have underground nests about 3 feet below the surface Live 2 5 years Territorial Rely on food cache over winter Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus Help keep marshes open by eating cattails Lodges are used by other species i.e. birds, turtles and snakes Burrows in levees can be a problem Can stay submerged for more than 15 minutes! Tail is round and naked 17

18 Muskrat Tracks Beaver, Castor canadensis Second largest rodent in the world Highly adapted for aquatic lifestyle Webbed feet Dorsoventrally compressed tail Eats cambium from many trees, as well as roots and tubers 18

19 Beaver Ecology and Conservation Once extirpated from the state Repatriated beginning in 1935 A keystone species 19

20 Beaver Tracks 20

21 Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus Very common but inconspicuous Associated with grassy fields and marshes Create above ground runways in grasses and under logs Meadow voles make up the majority of the diet of red tailed hawks and great horned owls Deer Mice Peromyscus spp. 21

22 Meadow Jumping Mouse Zapus hudsonicus Order Lagomorpha: Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus Eat anything that grows Average life expectancy = 6 months Food for lots of animals Up to 7 litters per year Four upper incisors! 22

23 Cottontail Slightly flattened spheres composed of light brown sandust like material 5 10 or more, 3/8 inch Found where they eat Coprophagy Hindgut fermentation Rabbit Scat Rabbit Tracks 23

24 Insect eaters Order Insectivora Long pointed nose and tiny bead like eyes Close relatives are the bats Eastern, or Common, Mole Scalopus aquaticus Video link on image Dense, perpendicular fur Can dig 13 feet per hour Eat mostly earthworms Active all winter 24

25 (Northern) Short tailed Shrew Blarina brevicauda Omnivore Run in mole runs and builds own runways Have huge appetites Have neurotoxic saliva!! Echolocate!! Live 1.5 years Do not hibernate Order Chiroptera Most abundant in Indiana: Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) Eat massive amounts of flying insects 25

26 Bat Echolocation 26

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28 White Nose Syndrome Discovered in New York bats in the winter of 2006 WNS is associated with the deaths of over a million bats however evidence of WNS directly causing the deaths is lacking 28

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30 Potential Impacts of Bat Declines Bats act as natural pest control With significant declines of bat populations: Increased use of pesticides in agriculture Increased cost of food Bat Houses 30

31 Order Carnivora Meat eaters (though typically omnivorous) Canine teeth are present in all Carnassials variously developed Have 5 toes on front foot, can have 4 or 5 toes on hind foot Close relatives to the familiar include seals and sea lions, mongoose and hyaenas 31

32 Raccoon Procyon lotor Nest in tree crevices and holes Nocturnal Omnivorous rascals Benefit from mesopredator release Tough on turtles Birds Lots of things Our most common carnivore Raccoon Tracks 32

33 Coyote Canis latrans lbs May pair for life Mate in early spring, 5 10 pups born in den in April Often use woodchuck dens for raising pups Do sometimes take cats and even dogs Less of a problem than feral dogs Coyote Tracks 33

34 Distinguishing Dog Tracks from Coyote Tracks..not an easy task. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Much smaller than a coyote, about lbs Dens are only used for breeding Often use a woodchuck burrow Scat and remnants of food found at opening of active den Not always red 34

35 Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus Once the more common fox in eastern US Red foxes do better around people Usually lbs Often smaller Fox Tracks 35

36 Distinguishing Dog, Fox and Coyote Domestic Dog rarely practice perfect step so that hind feet land a little to the side or behind the fore feet tracks Dogs often drag their hind feet slightly Dog trails often meander Fox and Coyote The track pattern is a nearly straight line of neat prints with perfect stepping Trails usually do not wander Fox and Coyote Scat Key: Measure the diameter Fox Fall, winter and spring: Usually 2 4 inches long, about ½ inch in diameter, have pointed ends Summer: scats are shorter with blunt ends Coyote Usually 2 5 inches long and ¾ inch+ in diameter 36

37 (North American) River Otter Lontra canadensis In weasel family lbs Eat anything, but like fish, crayfish, amphibians and reptiles Reintroduced mid 90s by DNR Cougars in Indiana? Confirmed sighting of mountain lion in Green County, IN by Division of Fish and Wildlife on May 1, 2010 Last recorded wild mountain lion in IN was from DeKalb Co. in

38 Green = established range Blue = photographs, DNA or living or dead body Red = tracks, prey carcasses Easterncourgarnet.org Blue = photographs, DNA or living or dead body Red = tracks, prey carcasses Easterncourgarnet.org 38

39 Who Else? Wolves? Bears? Bobcats? What else? Order Artiodactyla: Even toed ( Split ) hoofed mammals Family: Cervidae Hoofed mammals that have antlers which shed each year No upper incisors Close relatives are Perrisodactyls (odd toed ungulates) and Cetaceans 39

40 Deer: Description and Longevity Description Male weights: lbs. Female weights: lbs. Longevity Up to 10 years Deer: Habitat and Activity creatures of the thickets Crepuscular = active at dawn and dusk Spend rest of time in bedding locations chewing their cud 40

41 Deer Stomach (3 rd ) (4 th ) (2 nd ) (1 st ) 41

42 Deer in Velvet Purposes of Antlers Establish dominance hierarchy among males Used to create rubs on trees and shrubs Serve as sign posts that alert females and warn males To attract does Females choose males that have the largest body and antlers 42

43 Yearly Activity Cycle of the Whitetail Deer: Bucks and does live most of the year in separate social groups: Doe groups matriarch doe with daughters and granddaughters Buck groups unrelated Deer: Early Fall Grow thicker brownish winter coats. Deer have hollow hair! Fawns lose their spots Bucks disperse Does join their mother s matriarchal social group 43

44 The Rut From mid October through mid December with peak in November Females come into heat (estrus) for about one day Males create rubs and scrapes to attract females Rubs and Scrapes 44

45 Breeding Pair remains together for about a day Fawns born about 7 months later (often in June) Does do not bed with their fawns If winter stress is severe, the doe may reabsorb the fetuses before they are born Deer Tracks 45

46 Deer Pellets 46

47 Thank You! 47