East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2014 Analysis of Snake Creek Burial Cave Mustela fossils using Linear & Landmark-based Morphometrics: Implications for Weasel Classification & Black- footed Ferret Conservation Nathaniel S. Fox III East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Fox, Nathaniel S. III, "Analysis of Snake Creek Burial Cave Mustela fossils using Linear & Landmark-based Morphometrics: Implications for Weasel Classification & Black-footed Ferret Conservation" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2339. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2339 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Analysis of Snake Creek Burial Cave Mustela fossils using Linear & Landmark-based Morphometrics: Implications for Weasel Classification & Black-footed Ferret Conservation _______________________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Geosciences East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Geosciences _______________________________________ by Nathaniel S. Fox May 2014 _______________________________________ Dr. Steven C. Wallace, Chair Dr. Jim I. Mead Dr. Blaine W. Schubert Keywords: Mustela, weasels, morphometrics, classification, conservation, Pleistocene, Holocene ABSTRACT Analysis of Snake Creek Burial Cave Mustela fossils using Linear & Landmark-based Morphometrics: Implications for Weasel Classification & Black-footed Ferret Conservation by Nathaniel S. Fox Two discreet methods of geometric morphometrics were applied to evaluate the taxonomic utility of each in classifying the craniomandibular region of several Mustela species. Use of both linear measurements and 2-dimensional landmarks proved successful in discriminating between extant M. nigripes (black-footed ferret) and Neovison vison (American mink), in addition to the extant North American weasel species (M. erminea, M. frenata, M. nivalis). Methods were then used to classify Late Pleistocene Mustela spp. fossils collected from Snake Creek Burial Cave (SCBC) of eastern Nevada. Data acquired for unknown predicted group memberships varied markedly among methods and specimens. Nevertheless, results support the presence of M. nigripes and all 3 weasel taxa among the SCBC paleofauna. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee and East Tennessee State University faculty members: Drs. Steven Wallace, Jim Mead, and Blaine Schubert for their imperative revisions and feedback towards this manuscript. I am also indebted to the following collections personnel: Sandy Swift (Collections Manager, East Tennessee State University), Judith Chupasko (Curatorial Associate and Collections Manager, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology), Mark Omura (Curatorial Assistant, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology), and Suzanne Peurach (Collection Manager, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) for their generous hospitality and assistance in data collection. Furthermore, this study would not have been possible without materials provided through the research of Emily Mead and Dr. Jim Mead who facilitated the groundwork. I must also thank Dr. Steven Wallace, Dr. Eileen Ernenwein, Dr. Andrew Joyner, and Eric Lynch for their assistance with the variety of morphometric and geospatial programs used herein. Lastly, I give special thanks to my family, friends, and colleagues for their continued support throughout the development of this project. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 12 2. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 16 Evolutionary History ................................................................................................................. 16 Phylogeny .................................................................................................................................. 19 Characters of Mustela................................................................................................................ 24 North American Species Diagnosis........................................................................................... 27 Modern Ecology ........................................................................................................................ 41 Habitats .................................................................................................................................. 41 Diet ........................................................................................................................................ 43 Physiology and Population Dynamics ................................................................................... 44 Sexual Dimorphism ............................................................................................................... 45 Geographic Variation and Distribution ................................................................................. 47 3. DISTINGUISHING MUSTELA NIGRIPES AND NEOVISON VISON DENTARIES THROUGH LINEAR MORPHOMETRICS ................................................................................ 52 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 52 Abbreviations......................................................................................................................... 60 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 60 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 67 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 73 Captive, Wild, and Prehistoric Observances ......................................................................... 73 Morphometric Classification ................................................................................................. 74 Ecological Implications ............................................................................................................. 82 4. DISCRIMINATING NORTH AMERICAN WEASELS USING CRANIOMANDIBULAR LANDMARK ANALYSIS. .......................................................................................................... 85 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 85 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 95 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 107 Extant Species Classification............................................................................................... 107 SCBC Classification ............................................................................................................ 119 Taxonomic Implications ...................................................................................................... 128 Ecomorphological and Functional Inferences ..................................................................... 131 Paleontological Significance ............................................................................................... 136 5. CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................................................... 138 Geometric Morphometric Utility ............................................................................................ 138 Interpretation of the SCBC Paleofauna ................................................................................... 138 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 140 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 149 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................. 149 SCBC specimens: NAUQSP8711/115B-NAUQSP8711/125B .........................................