Squirrels of the World
Squirrels of the World

Author: Richard W. Thorington, Jr.

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2012-08-03

Total Pages: 470

ISBN-13: 1421404699

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Squirrels of the World, written by scientists with more than 100 years of collective experience studying these popular mammals, is the first comprehensive examination of all 285 species of squirrels worldwide. The authors reveal virtually every detail of the family Sciuridae, which includes ground squirrels, tree squirrels, flying squirrels, prairie dogs, and chipmunks. Each species—from the familiar gray squirrel of American backyards to the exotic and endangered woolly flying squirrel of Pakistan—is described in a detailed account that includes distinguishing characteristics, ecology, natural history, conservation status, and current threats to its existence. Squirrels of the World includes • stunning color photographs that document rare and unusual squirrels as well as common varieties• evolution, morphology, ecology, and conservation status• colorful range maps marking species distribution• images of the skull of each genus of squirrel• extensive references -- Lawrence Heaney, Curator and Head of the Division of Mammals, The Field Museum (Chicago)

Evolution of the Rodents
Evolution of the Rodents

Author: Philip G. Cox

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-08-06

Total Pages: 627

ISBN-13: 1107044332

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A valuable resource for the latest research on rodents, highlighting links across palaeontology, developmental biology, functional morphology, phylogenetics and biomechanics.

Evolutionary Relationships among Rodents
Evolutionary Relationships among Rodents

Author: W. Patrick Luckett

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-11

Total Pages: 720

ISBN-13: 1489905391

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The order Rodentia is the most abundant and successful group of mammals, and it has been a focal point of attention for compar ative and evolutionary biologists for many years. In addition, rodents are the most commonly used experimental mammals for bio medical research, and they have played a central role in investi gations of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of speciation in mammals. During recent decades, a tremendous amount of new data from various aspects of the biology of living and fossil rodents has been accumulated by specialists from different disciplines, ranging from molecular biology to paleontology. Paradoxically, our understanding of the possible evolutionary relationships among different rodent families, as well as the possible affinities of rodents with other eutherian mammals, has not kept pace with this information "explosion. " This abundance of new biological data has not been incorporated into a broad synthesis of rodent phylo geny, in part because of the difficulty for any single student of rodent evolution to evaluate the phylogenetic significance of new findings from such diverse disciplines as paleontology, embryology, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, and cytogenetics. The origin and subsequent radiation of the order Rodentia were based primarily on the acquisition of a key character complex: specializations of the incisors, cheek teeth, and associated mus culoskeletal features of the jaws and skull for gnawing and chewing.