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New York State Mammals

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New York State Mammals Morphology Ecology Identification Classification Distribution ORDER: Didelphimorphia FAMILY: Didelphidae Common Name: Virginia opossum Scientific Name: (Didelphis virginiana) • Marsupial – Only marsupial north of Mexico Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) • Habitat: woodlots, suburban, urban • Omnivorous • “Plays opossum” • Plays dead to avoid threatening situations • Naked prehensile tail • Fur gray-silver, white on head • 13 nipples within pouch • Skull contains 50 teeth I 5/4 C 1/1 P 3/3 M 4/4 ORDER: Soricomorpha FAMILIES: Soricidae Talpidae Shrew or Mole? lack of zygomatic arch thin (weak) zygomatic arch FAMILY: SORICIDAE “red-toothed shrews” – Pigmented teeth – Smallest mammals in the world – Mainly insectivorous – Largest/most widely distributed family of insectivores – Extremely high metabolism – Most have musk glands FAMILY: SORICIDAE • Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus)* • Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) • Long-tailed Shrew (Sorex dispar) • Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus)* • N. Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda)* • Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) • Water Shrew (Sorex palustris)* *Specimens we have in lab Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) • Habitat: forest dweller, primarily moist woods (occupies arid areas in some regions) • Tail makes up ~40% of total length, tail tip usually black • Usually brown pelage Pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) • Habitat: Boreal regions • One of the smallest terrestrial mammals on Earth (2.1 grams) • Longer snout than masked shrew Long-tailed shrew (Sorex dispar) • Habitat: Rocky outcrops or forest with many rocky areas • Adapted to life within rocks (rare): 1) long tail for climbing 2) long rostrum and pointed incisors for extracting inverts from crevices • Dark slate coloring • Tail length > 48 mm Smoky shrew (Sorex fumeus) • Habitat: Moist woods with heavy leaf litter • Fairly common • Smoky or gray colored • Tail length < 48mm • Skull and body more robust than long-tailed shrew Least shrew (Cryptotis parva) • “bee shrew”: sometimes live in abandoned bee hives • Habitat: Brushy/grassy areas • NYS = northern extent of geographic range • Most social shrew • Virginia: up to 25 in one nest • Small shrew with short tail • < 45% of total length Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) • Habitat: Variety of habitats • woodlands, grassy meadows and yards • Poisonous saliva • catch invertebrate prey • subdue large prey such as mice and voles • Very large shrew with short tail compared to body • Dark slate colored • Hair has brown tips Water shrew (Sorex palustris) • Habitat: Near small streams or creeks • Semi-aquatic: Uses water for foraging and escaping predators • Adaptations to aquatic lifestyle: • fur traps air bubbles • stiff fringes of hair on back feet to assist with swimming • Large shrew • Bicolored tail • Black or dark gray fur Side-by-side Comparisons Sorex cinereus Sorex hoyi 100 mm TL 80 mm 40 mm tail 30 mm 2 – 5 g 1 – 5 g 4 obvious unicuspids 3 obvious unicuspids Masked Shrew Pygmy Shrew Slender, Heavy-bodied, dark grey Grey-brown Sorex fumeus 115 mm TL 115 mm Sorex dispar 55 mm tail 40 mm 3 - 8 g 6 - 11 g Long-tailed Smoky Shrew Shrew Side-by-side Comparisons 120 mm TL 70 mm 25 mm tail 30 mm 18 - 22 g 5 - 10 g Cryptotis parva Blarina brevicauda Large, small, “short-tailed” “short-tailed” shrew shrew Sorex palustris Black/greyish back; Stiff fringes of hair on long hind feet (fl = 18 mm) Water Shrew FAMILY: TALPIDAE • Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) • Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) • Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) **A major distinguishing factor between moles & shrews – moles have larger/longer forefeet for digging. FAMILY: TALPIDAE Adapted for fossorial lifestyle: 1. modified forelimbs 2. keeled sternum- allows for attachment of large pectoral muscles 3. reduced external pinnae and eyes 4. short velvet-like, non-directional fur allows for movement in both directions Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) • Habitat: Prefers moist, sandy soils • Can live in drier climates and more coarse soils • Uncommon in NY • Has webbing between foretoes (not aquatic) • Large mole, tail naked or sparsely haired Hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri) • Habitat: Variable, most abundant in light soils with vegetative cover • Has vibrissae on snout and edge of palms to serve a tactile function • Smaller mole, hairy and fleshy tail Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) • Habitat: Prefers moist or wet soils, most aquatic mole • 22 fleshy appendages on nose with over 25,000 Eimer’s organs • Tactile & electromagnetic • Unique star-nose • Long tail • Black to blackish brown pelage Side-by-side comparison 150 mm TL 160 mm 30 mm tail 30 mm 60 – 120 g 40 – 60 g Scalopus aquaticus Parascalops breweri Eastern Mole Hairy-tailed Condylura cristata Star-nosed TL 150 - 200 mm tail 360 - 80 mm 60 - 80 g • Star-nose • Skull with forward pointed incisors .
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