Mammals lab practical: body appearance

Question 1

Virginia opossum

Answer 1

coarse gray/white fur, naked tail, white face

Question 2

masked shrew

Answer 2

long snout, small body, small eyes
tail long and bicolored
underparts paler

Question 3

northern short-tailed shrew

Answer 3

small eyes, long snout, short tail
single lead color
mouse sized

Question 4

eastern mole

Answer 4

short naked tail
snout
forelimbs for digging

Question 5

star-nosed mole

Answer 5

long furry tail
fleshy projections on nose
digging forelimbs

Question 6

little brown myotis

Answer 6

forearm 38 mm
brown hair on back

Question 7

big brown bat

Answer 7

forearm 46-51 mm
brown fur

Question 8

sliver-haired bat

Answer 8

silvery and black fur

Question 9

American pika

Answer 9

short, round ears
no visible tails
very soft, brown fur

Question 10

eastern cottontail

Answer 10

hind foot less than 100mm
back of feet are white
rusty nape

Question 11

swamp rabbit

Answer 11

hind foot >100mm
small rusty nape patch
back of legs are rusty

Question 12

plains pocket gopher

Answer 12

small ears
curved claws
cheek pouches
sparsely haired tail

Question 13

American beaver

Answer 13

large
brown fur
paddle tail

Question 14

meadow jumping mouse

Answer 14

large hind feet
sides orange, dark back
long tail, sparsely furred

Question 15

Ord’s kangaroo rat

Answer 15

long and powerful hindlimbs
white stripe along thigh and joins with white tail
very long tail with fur tuft
reduced front limbs

Question 16

brown rat

Answer 16

larger
dark top, light bottom
long scaley tail(shorter than head+body)

Question 17

house mouse

Answer 17

uniform coloration
sparsely furred, dark tail

Question 18

western harvest mouse

Answer 18

small size
tail < body plus head
sparsely furred tail, dark on bottom

Question 19

North American deer mouse

Answer 19

sides and back bicolored
tail furred and sharply bicolored
hind foot < 19mm
tail < 6cm

Question 20

white-footed deermouse

Answer 20

sides/back strongly bicolored
tail furred and bicolored
hind foot > 19mm
tail > 6cm

Question 21

eastern woodrat

Answer 21

grayish brown
white/silver belly
long whiskers
tail is furred and bicolored
tail < head + body

Question 22

meadow vole

Answer 22

gray/brown body
belly is gray
tail bicolored and 2.5 times hindfoot

Question 23

prairie vole

Answer 23

body is gray/brown with tawny tipped hairs
belly yellow/brown
tail bicolored and short

Question 24

common muskrat

Answer 24

large body
webbed feet
compressed tail
dense fur

Question 25

southern bog lemming

Answer 25

brown/gray top
silver/gray belly
tail does not extend past hind legs fully extended

Question 26

eastern chipmunk

Answer 26

each side has white stripe with 2 stripes
end at reddish rump

Question 27

woodchuck

Answer 27

body grizzled yellow/brown
stout body, short tail

Question 28

thirteen-lined ground squirrel

Answer 28

13 white striped on back

Question 29

Franklin’s ground squirrel

Answer 29

gray body, black speckling

Question 30

eastern gray squirrel

Answer 30

bushy tail bordered with white hairs
gray body

Question 31

eastern fox squirrel

Answer 31

tail tipped with orange hair
gray/yellow body with orange

Question 32

North American red squirrel

Answer 32

small reddish body, black line on side

Question 33

southern flying squirrel

Answer 33

patagium present
short, thick, soft hair
broad, compressed tail

Question 34

eastern coyote

Answer 34

bushy tail with black tip
grizzled gray body with rusty feet

Question 35

red fox

Answer 35

reddish body
ears and legs are black
tail has white tip

Question 36

gray fox

Answer 36

pepper and salt on back with reddish underside and sides of neck
bushy tail with black tip

Question 37

raccoon

Answer 37

ringed tail
mask

Question 38

least weasel

Answer 38

small body, short tail, white belly

Question 39

American mink

Answer 39

dark brown
white chin patch
longer, bushier tail

Question 40

river otter

Answer 40

tiny ears, webbed feet
brown above, gray below

Question 41

striped skunk

Answer 41

black, two white stripes

Question 42

bobcat

Answer 42

gray with dark spotts
short ear tufts
short tail

Question 43

elk

Answer 43

large, reddish brown head, yellowish rump

Bull: large antlers
Cow: no antlers

Question 44

white-tailed deer

Answer 44

face brown with white accent
only white under tail
Buck: unbranched antlers
Doe: none

Question 45

mule deer

Answer 45

face mostly white
tail is white on front and back
Buck: antlers
doe: none

Question 46

pronghorn antelope

Answer 46

short pointed horns

buck: longer horns, black stripe on face
doe: smaller horns, no stripe

Question 47

bighorn sheep

Answer 47

gray, long curly horns

ram: big curved horns
ewe: small curved horns

Question 48

mountain goat

Answer 48

white, long straight horns

billy: larger horns/body
nanny: smaller horns/body

Question 49

American bison

Answer 49

bison

bull: darker, fluffier fur on head
cow: less dark and fluffy

Question 50

wild boar

Answer 50

pig

Question 51

moose

Answer 51

largest
odd nose
bull: antlers
cow: no antlers