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Octodontidae
Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, ''Octodon degus''. Octodontids are medium-sized rodents, ranging from in body length. They have long, silky, fur, which is typically brownish in color, and often paler on the underside. The name 'octodont' derives from the wear pattern of their teeth, which resembles a figure 8. Most are nocturnal, social, burrowing animals, though the degu is largely diurnal. They are herbivorous, eating tubers, bulbs, and cactuses. Some authors have suggested that the octodontids should be reclassified in the order Lagomorpha, but this has not been supported by further analyses. Older literature includes the tuco-tucos in the family, as the subfamily Ctenomyinae, but these animals are normally now treated as a separate family, Ctenomyidae. There is some evidence that evolution within the family ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octomys
The mountain viscacha rat or mountain vizcacha rat (''Octomys mimax''), historically viscacha rat or vizcacha rat, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Argentina. It is the only living species within the genus ''Octomys''. This diploid genus (2n = 56) may be ancestral to the two unusual suspected tetraploid species ''Tympanoctomys barrerae'' and ''Pipanacoctomys aureus''. However, some genetic studies have rejected any polyploidism in mammals as unlikely, and suggests that ''amplification and dispersion of repetitive sequences best explain the large genome size''. Description The mountain viscacha rat is a rat-like animal with a head-body length of about and weighing from . The feet are relatively long, while the tail measures . It has light brown fur with white underparts and a bushy tail. Unusual features of the viscacha rat include greatly enlarged auditory bullae, and the presence of numerous whiskers on the roof of the mouth behind the inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coruro
The coruro (''Spalacopus cyanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Spalacopus''. The species is endemic to central Chile, where it has been found in a wide variety of habitats, from coastal to montane. It is fossorial and lives in colonies. Description Coruros are robust rodents with large heads, short necks and stocky bodies. The fur is short and dark brown, turning blackish on the feet. Their eyes and ears are small and their tails are short and smooth. They are strongly modified for life underground. They have large incisors that curve forward and which are used to loosen soil and gnaw through roots, strong forelimbs for digging and powerful hind limbs for moving soil and kicking it out of the entrance to the burrow. They weigh between . Their molars have reentrant folds that do not meet in the middle. Their tails are scaly and hairless. They can be either black or dark brown. Distribution and habitat Coruros occur al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Viscacha Rat
The plains viscacha rat, plains vizcacha rat, red viscacha rat, or red vizcacha rat (''Tympanoctomys barrerae'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae native to Argentina. It is one of three species in the genus ''Tympanoctomys''. Description The plains viscacha rat is a moderately-sized rat, with a large head, long tail, and short ears. Adults measure about in total length, with a tail, and weigh an average of , with males being slightly larger than females. The rat has buff-yellow fur with white underparts, fading to dark brown at the tip of the tail. Distribution and habitat The plains viscacha rat is endemic to central western Argentina, where it has a fragmented range in Mendoza Province and western La Pampa. Its natural habitat is desert scrubland, dunes and salt flats, between . There are no recognised subspecies. The species is threatened by destruction of its fragmented and restricted habitat. Biology and behaviour Plains viscacha rats are solitary, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spalacopus
The coruro (''Spalacopus cyanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Spalacopus''. The species is endemic to central Chile, where it has been found in a wide variety of habitats, from coastal to montane. It is fossorial and lives in colonies. Description Coruros are robust rodents with large heads, short necks and stocky bodies. The fur is short and dark brown, turning blackish on the feet. Their eyes and ears are small and their tails are short and smooth. They are strongly modified for life underground. They have large incisors that curve forward and which are used to loosen soil and gnaw through roots, strong forelimbs for digging and powerful hind limbs for moving soil and kicking it out of the entrance to the burrow. They weigh between . Their molars have reentrant folds that do not meet in the middle. Their tails are scaly and hairless. They can be either black or dark brown. Distribution and habitat Coruros occur al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Viscacha Rat
The golden viscacha rat or golden vizcacha rat (''Pipanacoctomys aureus'') is the single species of the genus ''Pipanacoctomys'' of the rodent family Octodontidae. It has 92 chromosomes and has been regarded as tetraploid ( 4x = 2n).Gallardo, M. H. ''et al.'' (2004).Whole-genome duplications in South American desert rodents (Octodontidae). ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 82'', 443-451. This octodontid and its sister-species, the plains viscacha rat (''Tympanoctomys barrerae'') (2n = 102), may have arisen from the diploid mountain viscacha rat (''Octomys mimax''), (2x = 2n = 56) as a result of the doubling and subsequent loss of some chromosomes. However, some genetic studies have rejected any polyploidism in mammals as unlikely, and suggest that amplification and dispersion of repetitive sequences best explain the large genome size. Description The golden viscacha rat grows to a head-and-body length of about with a tufted tail of about . The dorsal fur is golden-bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pipanacoctomys
The golden viscacha rat or golden vizcacha rat (''Pipanacoctomys aureus'') is the single species of the genus ''Pipanacoctomys'' of the rodent family Octodontidae. It has 92 chromosomes and has been regarded as tetraploid ( 4x = 2n).Gallardo, M. H. ''et al.'' (2004).Whole-genome duplications in South American desert rodents (Octodontidae). ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 82'', 443-451. This octodontid and its sister-species, the plains viscacha rat (''Tympanoctomys barrerae'') (2n = 102), may have arisen from the diploid mountain viscacha rat (''Octomys mimax''), (2x = 2n = 56) as a result of the doubling and subsequent loss of some chromosomes. However, some genetic studies have rejected any polyploidism in mammals as unlikely, and suggest that amplification and dispersion of repetitive sequences best explain the large genome size. Description The golden viscacha rat grows to a head-and-body length of about with a tufted tail of about . The dorsal fur is golden-bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tympanoctomys
''Tympanoctomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Octodontidae. There are three extant species in the genus: '' T. barrerae'', '' T. kirchnerorum'' and '' T. loschalchalerosorum''. ''T. loschalchalerosorum'' was formerly considered to be monotypic within the genus ''Salinoctomys'', but has been shown by genetic analysis to nest within the variation of ''T. barrerae''. All species are endemic to central western Argentina, where the genus has a fragmented range. Their natural habitat is desert scrubland, dunes and salt flats, where they eat halophyte plants. They are solitary, nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ... rodents that construct large mounds with complex burrows. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q12268441 Mammals of Argentina Endemic fauna of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octodontomys
The mountain degu (''Octodontomys gliroides'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Octodontomys''. It is found in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Description The mountain degu is a moderate sized rodent with a length of , including a tail of , and a bodyweight in the range . The hairs are long and silky. The upper surface is greyish-brown, the chin is pure white, and the underparts are white with a grey base to the hairs. There is a tuft of white hair in front of the large ears, which are clad in short grey hair. The slender tail is bi-coloured (dark above and pale below) and has a tuft of brown or ochre hairs at the tip. Juveniles have darker fur above and greyer underparts. Their tails are brownish with a dark brown or black tufted tip. Distribution and habitat This species is found in the mountainous areas of southwestern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It has a wide altitudin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Degu
The common degu (''Octodon degus''; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name ''degu'' on its own indicates either the entire genus ''Octodon'' or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word ''degu'' comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word ''dewü'', meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'. The animal may be kept as a pocket pet, though there are prohibitions on their ownership in some territories. As a pet, the animal is larger than a golden hamster but smaller than a fancy rat. Description The common degu is a small animal with a body length of and a weight of . It has yellow-brown fur above and creamy-yellow below, with yellow around the eyes and a paler band around the neck. It has a long, thin tail with a tufted, black tip, dark sparsely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyploidy
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains one or more chromosomes and comes from each of two parents, resulting in pairs of homologous chromosomes between sets. However, some organisms are polyploid. Polyploidy is especially common in plants. Most eukaryotes have diploid somatic cells, but produce haploid gametes (eggs and sperm) by meiosis. A monoploid has only one set of chromosomes, and the term is usually only applied to cells or organisms that are normally diploid. Males of bees and other Hymenoptera, for example, are monoploid. Unlike animals, plants and multicellular algae have life cycles with two alternating multicellular generations. The gametophyte generation is haploid, and produces gametes by mitosis, the sporophyte generation is diploid and produces spores by mei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Degu
The common degu (''Octodon degus''; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name ''degu'' on its own indicates either the entire genus ''Octodon'' or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word ''degu'' comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word ''dewü'', meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'. The animal may be kept as a pocket pet, though there are prohibitions on their ownership in some territories. As a pet, the animal is larger than a golden hamster but smaller than a fancy rat. Description The common degu is a small animal with a body length of and a weight of . It has yellow-brown fur above and creamy-yellow below, with yellow around the eyes and a paler band around the neck. It has a long, thin tail with a tufted, black tip, dark sparsely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aconaemys Fuscus
The Chilean rock rat (''Aconaemys fuscus'') is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is found in the high Andes of Argentina and Chile. Description The Chilean rock rat is a short-tailed rodent. Rock rats in the genus ''Aconaemys'' are similar to those in the genus '' Ctenomys'' but not so specialised for life underground. The ears are rather larger, the claws on the front feet which are used for digging are smaller, and the edging of hairs on the hind feet, used for shifting loose soil, is reduced in size. The upper parts of the Chilean rock rat are dark brown, with the underparts ranging from reddish brown to white. Sample specimens described in 1966 and 1984, from two different locations, had a head-and-body length ranging from to , with the tail adding another – to the animal's total length. Its karyotype has 2n = 56 and FN = 108. Distribution and habitat This species is endemic to parts of Argentina and Chile in the high Andes in South America. Its rang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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