INTRODUCTION
The order Lagomorpha consists of two extant families: Leporidae (hares and rabbits) and Ochotonidae (pikas) and several extinct families. The purpose of this paper is to identify the characterize biogeographical migration patterns of Lagomorphs and why. The natural geographical distribution today of the lagomorphs is found throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Figure 1 is an illustration depicting the various time periods as well as the number of million years ago (Mckenna 1997). The sources identified address the distribution throughout the Eocene to the Pliocene (35-5 Ma) (Figure 11). The aims of this paper are to identify the biogeographical distribution of the various families and how that compares to the modern day distribution.
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Some characteristics belonging to the include a fenestrated lacework of bone on the lateral surface of the maxilla, a snout tapering in width anteriorly, a tendency toward reduction of the palatine component of the palate, a present supraorbital process of the frontal bone and the tendency toward the loss of the posterior mental foramen with the cranial characteristics (Dawson 2008). Some postcranial characteristics that differ between the Leporidae and the Ochotonidae include the location of the vertebrarterial canal, the number of thoracolumbar vertebrae, the number of fused sacral vertebrae, the fusion of the pelvis at the pubic symphysis and fusion of the cuneiform to the metatarsal in the Leporidae. The postcranial characteristics between the two of them include evolutionary changes in the skeleton associated with either short bursts of locomotion or rapid, sustained bounding locomotion. When comparing living ochotonoids and leporids, the living ochotonoids are much more homogenous in size and tarsal morphology. Along with the dental identification, these skeletal characteristics aid in the identification of families, genera and species. One of the main defining features of lagomorphs is the calcaneal canal passing diagonally through the talus (if talus is present) (Rose et al. 2008). While it is typically present in both the Ochotonidae and Leporidae, it is …show more content…
2013).The major changes in the natural environment include the drift and reconnection of continents, the drastic decline of CARBON DIOXIDE (in the late Miocene) and the formation of ice-age climate cycles. The origination of leporids in the Eocene occurred within a warmer and wetter climate. During the transition of Eocene to Oligocene global cooling started to take place while the number of fossil occurrences increased (Ge et al. 2013). Plant fossils from the early to middle Miocene indicate that forests and swamps dominate the vegetation in the northern hemisphere while the low diversity of leporids during this time period may indicate that the vegetation of the time did not promote diversification and dispersal of the Lagomorpha (Ge et al. 2013). However the uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the formation of Asian monsoon accelerated the aridity in North America and the CARBON DIOXIDE in the atmosphere. Lagomorphs are likely to be affected by environmental change due to changes in the climate, land use and human disturbance (Leach et al. 2015). They occupy a wide range of environmental conditions in all continents except Antarctica, and are found at extreme elevations (sea level to >5000m) and latitudes (Equator to Arctic) (Leach et al. 2015). Closely related, large-bodied, similarly sized
Fox, R. 2001. Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine: Artemia Franciscana. Lander University. http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/artemia.html, retrieved February 13, 2011.
Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs are closely related in their characteristics. Ceratopsians processed a saddle-shaped boney frill that extended from the skull to the neck and typically had horns over the nose and eyes. The most popular was the triceratops, which could reach over 26 feet and weigh in excess of twelve metric tons. Their frills served as two major functions. It protected the vulnerable neck from being harmed. The second major function that the frill provided was due to the fact that the frill contained a network of blood vessels on its underside, which were used as a means to get rid of excess heat. The Pachycephalosaurs were considered to be bipedal. They were also found to have thick skulls, flattened bodies, and tail that were covered in an array of body rods. Pachycephalosaurs were thought to have been more than fifteen feet long and processed a skull that was surrounded by a rounded dome of solid bone. It was thought that they used their heads in combat or mating contests, but that was disproved fairly recently, which I will discuss later in the paper. Both Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs were “bird-hipped” and both of these suborders contained a backwards pubic bone. Both were Marginocephilia, or “fringed heads”, which is one of three clads under the Orinthiscia order. They were also herbivore dinosaurs that inherited their fringe at the back of the skull from earlier ancestors.(2) Their classi...
The question of what caused the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene period is one that archaeologists have struggled to answer for decades, but why should it matter? Discovering with certainty the cause of megafaunal extinction would simultaneously prove or disprove any of the proposed implications of each existing theory regarding this massive extinction.
Feder and Park present a list of traits that are used by paleoanthropologists to distinguish the appearance of skeletal features and characterize these changes over time. Th...
Works Cited Bates, D. (1957, December 17). Letter from Roy Wilkins. Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America. Beals, M. P. (1994). The Species of the World.
Although the lifestyle of the Clovis people in the Gault seem to pose a little contradiction to the standard beliefs of Clovis people, where they were from and how they got there was much more controversial. The first explanation discussed in the article focused on the journey from Siberia, then in pursuit of their preys passed through ice-free corridors, reached the Great Plains and soon made extinct about 35 genera of big animals. The first criticism about this theory was the fact from latest studies that the ice-free corridor did not exist until about 12,000 years ago. This makes...
The reading states that several arguments support the migration hypothesis of Edmontosaurus. However, the professor stated that the arguments in the reading passage about the edmontosaur migration are not convincing.
middle of paper ... ... Oxford, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Dreary, T. (1994). The Species of the World.
C. didactylus has 5 to 7, while B. tridactylus has 8 or 9 (BioMed Central, 2011). When compared to skeletons of related species to both sloths (e.g. anteaters and armadillos), none of the related species showed an unusual amount of cervical vertebrae. However, manatees have only 6 cervical vertebrae (Hautier, Weisbecker, Sanchez-Villagra, Goswami, & Asher, 2014). While all mammals need 7 cervical vertebrae to survive, it is remarkable to see these three species survive with their abnormal number of cervical vertebrae. As we discussed in class, having any more or less than 7 cervical vertebrae can be deadly to the organism. It is hypothesized that the low metabolic and activity rates of sloths protected them from the harmful effects from having an abnormal amount of cervical vertebrae (Varela-Lasheras, et al.,
In Human Geography: people, place and culture, Migration is defined as “A change in residence intended to be permanent (Fouberg et al, 2015, p. 127).” In my family our ancestors migrated to Canada from England, France and Scotland over a 100 years ago. The push and pull factors that influenced them to move to Canada, were to come to the new world to colonize and start a new life as farmers and bakers as they sought the agricultural opportunities. This was a form a voluntary migration as it was there choice to move. Since moving to Canada and settling along the east coast, my family hasn’t migrated as much due to the men in my family for generations having jobs in the military which kept them constrained to the east coast. There has been some
In 1890 America’s economy was going down hill, some thought the Klondike was the answer. Families were in a desperate need for money, but before I go any further you probably want to know what the Klondike is. The Klondike was a migration by almost 100,000 gold searches. The supplies that you need for the trip were endless, you need approximately 1000LBS. Men would take this harsh, and dangerous journey to try to strike rich. However the conditions of the weather is what makes this trip dangerous. There is a lot of ice, snow, and nothing. The temperatures can reach sixty degrees below zero. The main source of transportation is horses, and sled dogs which will eventually die. You have what you bring with you, and that's it. You are out for yourself,
The long term geologic changes: acts on taxon cycle, involves sea level change, land bridge creation or destruction, fragmentation or unification of land masses.
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
populations have been inherently mobile throughout history. Migration is an international phenomenon and it has been so from time immemorial. It is a movement of people from one place to another by crossing an administrative boundary. Migration has vast socio-economic and cultural implications both in the origin and in the destination countries (Bogue, 1959). Patterns of Migration have always fascinated demographers. Elaborate theories have been formulated on the subject and policy designed to reduce or take care of the effects of migration. Migration may be classified as internal or international and as voluntary or forced. If it is voluntary migration, mental and physical adaption of the migrants of their new habitats and environment becomes easy. On the other hand, if it is an involuntary or forced migration, it creates socio-cultural disequilibrium among the migrants. Involuntary displacement of human population is always traumatic. Migration from the mountain region of Uttarakhand has been a common phenomenon. The Uttarakhand State is also known as the Dev Bhumi or Land of God because it houses various religious places and places of worships that
Migration represents one of the biggest issues in today's world. It is defined as the movement of people across international boundaries, from one place to another, with the intention of settling in a new location. (Adapted from a definition of migration cited in National Geographic).