Basic concepts of Mammalogy

Question 1

What is pelage?

Answer 1

Whole body hair. This includes underfur (down or wool), and overfur (guard hairs).

Question 2

What are hairs made of?

Answer 2

Three layers of keratin - a central core or medulla, layer of cortex surrounding the medulla, and an outermost layer called the cuticle

Question 3

What are vibrissae?

Answer 3

Whiskers; specialized sensory hairs

Question 4

What are the three skin glands? What are their purposes

Answer 4

Allow evaporative cooling and elimination of some wastes Sebaceous glands - oily secretion for lubricating hair and skin to keep pelage dry Scent and musk glands - social communication, marking territory, attracting mates, protection

Question 5

What are mammary glands?

Answer 5

lobules of glandular tissue enclosed in connective tissue capsules the converge to a nipple or cistern for lactation

Question 6

What are the purpose of claws, nails, and hooves?

Answer 6

Claws - tools and protect underlying tissues Nails - protect the tips of terminal phalanges (toes and fingers) Hooves - specialized claw

Question 7

What are horns?

Answer 7

Keratinized sheaths around bony cores that do not branch except in pronghorns

Question 8

What are antlers?

Answer 8

Bone laid down by epidermal growth layer (velvet) and typically shed annually

Question 9

What are ossicones?

Answer 9

Similar to horns, derived from bony elements and no relation to horns or antlers (on giraffes and okapi)

Question 10

What is oviparity?

Answer 10

Egg-laying

Question 11

What is a cloaca?

Answer 11

Vent for digestive wastes, kidney excretions, reproductive system products found in monotremes

Question 12

What reasons do mammals have for communicating?

Answer 12

Species, population, mate, or kin recognition; reproduction, agonism, social status, alarm, hunting, care, play

Question 13

What is reciprocal altruism?

Answer 13

Cooperating with others, possibility of being paid back in the future

Question 14

What is iteroparous?

Answer 14

Breeding multiple times throughout a lifetime

Question 15

What is reproductive effort?

Answer 15

the energy put into current reproduction that reduces future survival and reproduction; increase with age in long-lived species; high at maturity for short-lived species

Question 16

What are some forms of reproductive variations?

Answer 16

Delayed fertilization - hold sperm until later (seasons) Delayed development - slows following implantation in uterine lining Delayed implantation - suspend blastocyte development from embedding in lining (litter size of current brood) Embryonic diapause - a period of arrested development of the blastocyst (joey in pouch prevent next until he leaves)

Question 17

What is the difference between altricial or precocial?

Answer 17

Altrical - young that are undeveloped (marsupial) Precocial - young that are more developed (placental)

Question 18

What is endothermy?

Answer 18

ability to control body temperature by internal metabolic activity, physiological regulation of heat exchange, and behavioral thermoregulation

Question 19

What are ways endotherms cope with the cold?

Answer 19

evolve large body size, have a more favorable ratio of surface are to volume, decrease rate of heat loss, increase insulation or thermoregulation, increase metabolic heat production, abandon normal body temp, or allow body temp to drop near ambient (hypothermia)

Question 20

What is Bergmann’s Rule?

Answer 20

Animals in colder climates will be larger than those in warmer climates

Question 21

What are ways endotherms cope with the heat?

Answer 21

sweating, panting, hyperthermia

Question 22

What is echolocation?

Answer 22

short-range system where target are detected at close range

Question 23

Is echolocation better for terrestrial or aquatic species?

Answer 23

Signals travel faster, further, and with less energy output in aquatic ecosystems

Question 24

What is sexual dimorphism? Why does it occur?

Answer 24

One gender of a species, typically the male, is larger than the other gender. Most likely occurs due to mating rituals.

Question 25

Are mammals endothermic or ectothermic?

Answer 25

able to maintain own body heat

Question 26

Name four characteristics of mammals:

Answer 26

hair, live birth, endothermic, four chambered heart, specialized teeth, mammary glands

Question 27

Name the three types of mammalian reproduction, define each type and give at least one example of an animal that has that type.

Answer 27

Monotreme - egg laying (Platapus) Marsupial - born pre embriotic - travel to pouch to complete development (Kangaroo/Koala) Placental - uterine connection (Elephants)

Question 28

How is hibernation different from torpor?

Answer 28

Hibernation - long term, body temperature down, can’t arouse animal Torpor - short term, not deep change in body temperature, can arouse out of sleep

Question 29

Name three physical characteristics of carnivores:

Answer 29

highly specialized teeth, large brains, claws, simple stomachs

Question 30

How do predators fit into the food chain? What would happen if predators were removed from the food chain?

Answer 30

at the top of the food chain, necessary to keep herds moving, prevent overgrazing, remove sick old injured and surplus young

Question 31

Cheetah can run up to ______ mph for short distances.

Answer 31

65-70 mph

Question 32

What are ungulates?

Answer 32

hoofed animals herbivores young born precocial and weaned at about a year

Question 33

Most Artiodactyls are ruminants. Explain what this means and what the advantage is?

Answer 33

digestive system - 4 chambered stomach - chewing the cud - ruminating start in stomach 1 and 2 then brought back up chewed and passes through stomachs 3 and 4

Question 34

What is the difference between horns and antlers?

Answer 34

Horns - permanent, male and female Antlers - branched and seasonal - males only