North American Jumping Mice (Genus Zapus)Krutzsch, Philip H. (Philip Henry)
Science
North American Jumping Mice (Genus Zapus)
Krutzsch, Philip H. (Philip Henry)
Zapus
From these data, concerning growth of external parts, it seems that:
growth is most rapid during the four weeks following parturition;
specimens from Michigan, assigned to age groups 1 and 2 on the basis of
tooth wear, are less fully developed and probably younger than mice from
Minnesota, with a known age of 13 weeks; individuals with sufficient
wear on the teeth to be placed in age group 3, if they were obtained in
the late fall, may be young from the first litters of the year or, if
they were obtained in early spring, may be at least one year old;
individuals in age groups 4, 5, and 6 are at least one year old.
SKULL.--The post-embryonic development of the skull is rapid. Animals in
age groups 1 and 2 have skulls which average more than 80 per cent of
the size that is here considered adult (an average size obtained from
age groups 3, 4, and 5). The actual increase in size of certain cranial
elements for various age groups is given in table 2.
In age group 1 the rostrum is relatively short as it is in _Neotoma
micropus_ (J. A. Allen, 1894:235) and juveniles of _Peromyscus truei_
(Hoffmeister, 1951:7). The rostrum lengthens rapidly and there is a
general increase in actual and relative size of the entire preorbital
region; the increase after age group 3 is slower and of lesser
magnitude. Changes with age in the size of the braincase are slight. In
age group 1 the average depth of the braincase is 99.6 per cent of the
adult size; the average breadth of the braincase is 98 per cent of the
adult size, and the average width across the mastoid region is 96.4 per
cent of the adult size. These dimensions indicate that the braincase
reaches full size early. The zygomatic arch, however, undergoes change
with age; there is a gradual increase in breadth owing to lateral bowing
and a gradual lengthening which is in keeping with a general elongation
of the skull anterior to the braincase.
The incisive foramina in age group 1 are short (4.0 mm), broad (2.2 mm
in the middle), and taper to a point at each end. In age group 2 the
foramina have elongated (4.2 mm) and are less pointed posteriorly, but
there is no change in breadth. In age groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 the foramina
become progressively longer (4.5 mm in age group 6), have a relatively
constant breadth (2.2 mm), and become more nearly truncate anteriorly.
TABLE 2.--Average and Extreme Measurements (in Millimeters) of
Skulls of Six Age-groups in Specimens of Zapus hudsonius
from Michigan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account