Lesson 7 Rodentia Flashcards
What is the main thing that makes an animal a rodent?
Rodents are characterized by teeth that need to gnaw.
How are rodents helpful to the world?
They are food for many animals, disperse seeds, can be used as test subjects by the military & medical fields.
How are they destructive?
They chew on almost anything, & they can carry diseases.
Into what three groups do scientists divide rodents?
mouse-like rodents, squirrel-like rodents, cavy-like rodents
Name three members of order Insectivora
Hedgehogs, shrews, solenodons, treeshrews
Which mammals are poisonous?
Shrews & solenodons are poinsonous. You could say hedgehogs, but they technically use other animals’ poison.
What are the differences among rabbits, hares, & pikas?
Pikas are small, have short, round ears, no tail, & are very vocal. Hares are larger than rabbits, have longer legs, and have longer ears (often tipped in black) than rabbits. Hares are also born precocial, while rabbits are usually born altricial.
Why are animals like the platypus & echidna difficult to classify as mammals?
They lay eggs rather than giving birth to live young.
How is the echidna like a marsupial?
It has a pouch
Which animal in order Edentata really has no teeth?
Anteaters have no teeth
what disease do armadillos sometimes carry?
leprosy
How is an aardvark similar to an anteater?
It digs in termite heels with its claws & eats what an anteater eats.
Describe some differences between aardvarks & anteaters.
The aardvark is smaller than most anteaters, its hair is not as thick, & its snout is flattened. Aardvarks also have teeth.
A disease of the 1300s that was spread by rats & killed an estimated 75 million people
Black Plague or Bubonic Plague or Black Death
Structures that beavers build to raise the water level so they can live more comfortably in the area where they have built their lodge.
Dams
A beaver’s young.
kits
A teepee shaped pile of logs that beavers build as homes
lodge
The largest rodent living on the planet.
Capybara
These animals are considered a keystone species & can actually change the entire landscape of the places of North America & Europe where they live.
Beavers
