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Zokor
Zokors are Asiatic burrowing rodents resembling mole-rats. They include two genera: '' Myospalax'' and '' Eospalax''. Zokors are native to much of China, Kazakhstan, and Siberian Russia. Traditionally, zokors were thought to be closely related to either hamsters ( Cricetinae) or voles ( Arvicolinae), but recent molecular phylogenetic studies have demonstrated they are more closely related to blind mole-rats ( Spalacinae) and root and bamboo rats ( Rhizomyinae) in the family Spalacidae. It appears that one of the first important evolutionary splits in muroid rodents is between burrowing forms and nonburrowing forms. Unlike the other spalacids, which primarily use their incisors, zokors use their powerful front claws for digging. They have small eyes and no external ears. Zokors feed on plant matter such as tubers and seeds. Zokor bone is sometimes used as a more environmentally friendly alternative to tiger bone in traditional Chinese medicine. This product is called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Zokor
The Chinese zokor (''Eospalax fontanierii'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to China, ranging from Qinghai Province eastwards to Beijing in steppe and alpine grasslands. Henri Milne-Edwards first described it in 1867. Eradication programs in the 1990s in Qinghai Province resulted in a population decline to less than a third of the former population. It is considered common and has been assessed as Least Concern by IUCN. An average adult weighs and newborn young weigh . Description The Chinese zokor is a medium-sized, burrowing rodent, with a stocky build and a very short, conical tail. The head-and-body length is between and the tail between . The weight varies between . The fur is soft and dense, covering the eyes and tiny ears. There is a white flash on the forehead. The upper parts are a dark reddish-brown, each of the hairs having a greyish-black base. The underparts are greyish-black, the hairs having reddish-brown tips, and the tail has on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spalacidae
The Spalacidae, or spalacids, are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. They are native to eastern Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. It includes the blind mole-rats, bamboo rats, mole-rats, and zokors. This family represents the oldest split (excluding perhaps the Platacanthomyidae) in the muroid superfamily, and comprises animals adapted to a subterranean way of life. These rodents were thought to have evolved adaptations to living underground independently until recent genetic studies demonstrated they form a monophyletic group. Members of the Spalacidae are often placed in the family Muridae along with all other members of the Muroidea. Characteristics Spalacids are mouse- to rat-sized rodents, adapted to burrowing and living underground. They have short limbs, wedge-shaped skulls, strong neck muscles, large incisor teeth, and small eyes and external ears. In the zokors, which dig primarily with their fee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eospalax
''Eospalax'' is a genus of rodents in the family Spalacidae. It contains these species: *Chinese zokor The Chinese zokor (''Eospalax fontanierii'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to China, ranging from Qinghai Province eastwards to Beijing in steppe and alpine grasslands. Henri Milne-Edwards first described it in 1 ..., ''E. fontanierii'' * Rothschild's zokor, ''E. rothschildi'' * Smith's zokor, ''E. smithii'' References * Rodent genera Taxa named by Glover Morrill Allen Endemic fauna of China Rodents of China {{muroid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myospalax
''Myospalax'' is a genus of rodents in the family Spalacidae. It contains these species of zokor: * False zokor, ''M. aspalax'' *Siberian zokor The Siberian zokor (''Myospalax myospalax'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Kazakhstan and Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North ..., ''M. myospalax'' * Transbaikal zokor, ''M. psilurus'' References {{Taxonbar, from=Q82713 Rodent genera Taxa named by Erik Laxmann Rodents of Asia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muroidea
The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica. Some authorities have placed all members of this group into a single family, Muridae, due to difficulties in determining how the subfamilies are related to one another. Many of the families within the Muroidea superfamily have more variations between the families than between the different clades. A possible explanation for the variations in rodents is because of the location of these rodents; these changes could have been due to radiation or the overall environment they migrated to or originated in. The following taxonomy is based on recent well-supported molecular phylogenies. The muroids are classified in six families, 19 subfamilies, around 280 genera, and at least 1,750 species. Taxonomy *Family Platacanthomyidae ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transbaikal Zokor
The Transbaikal zokor (''Myospalax psilurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in China, Mongolia, and Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig .... References * Shar, S., Tsytsulina, K. & Lkhagvasuren, D. 2008.Myospalax psilurus 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 16 August 2009. * Myospalax Mammals described in 1874 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Rodents of China Mammals of Mongolia Mammals of Siberia Rodents of Asia {{muroid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arvicolinae
The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae (comprising the hamsters and New World rats and mice). Some authorities place the subfamily Arvicolinae in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea. Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae (yielding the adjective "microtine") or rank the taxon as a full family, the Arvicolidae. The Arvicolinae are the most populous group of Rodentia in the Northern Hemisphere. They often are found in fossil occlusions of bones cached by past predators such as owls and other birds of prey. Fossils of this group are often used for biostratigraphic dating of paleontological and archeological sites in North America and Europe. Description The most convenient distinguishing feature of the Arvicolinae is the nature of their molar teeth, which have prismatic cusps in the shape of alternating ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for New Zealand, Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/richochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Rabbits, hares, and pikas, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siberian Zokor
The Siberian zokor (''Myospalax myospalax'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Kazakhstan and Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight .... References * Myospalax Mammals described in 1773 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals of Siberia Fauna of Kazakhstan Rodents of Asia {{muroid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eumuroida
The Eumuroida are a clade defined in 2004 by Steppan et al. that includes rats, mice and related species, though not all rodents; in other words, a specific group of muroid rodents. The clade is not defined in the standard taxonomic hierarchy, but it is between superfamily and family. The Eumuroida are technically defined as the clade including all organisms descended from the most recent common ancestor of the Calomyscidae, Nesomyidae, Cricetidae, and Muridae. It specifically excludes the fossorial forms of mouse-like rodents in the family Spalacidae. It has yet to be determined if the Platacanthomyidae belong to the Eumuroida, but Norris et al. (2004) suggested they do not because of subtle features in the skull. Norris et al. (2004) noted that two characters can be used to define the Eumuroida: the infraorbital foramen is V-shaped and extends to the roof of the palate, and the incisive foramina are medium to large in size. The zygomatic plate is at least moderately deve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bamboo Rat
The bamboo rats are four species of rodents of the subfamily Rhizomyinae. They are the sole living representatives of the tribe Rhizomyini. All are found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The species are: *The Chinese bamboo rat, ''Rhizomys sinensis'', found in central and southern China, northern Burma, and Vietnam; *The hoary bamboo rat, '' R. pruinosus'', found from Assam in India to southeastern China and the Malay Peninsula; *The Sumatra, Indomalayan, or large bamboo rat, ''R. sumatrensis'', found in Yunnan in China, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. *The lesser bamboo rat, '' Cannomys badius'', found in Nepal, Assam, northern Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and northern Vietnam. Bamboo rats vary in size, from the lesser bamboo rat, which is typically long (head and body: tail length is ), and weighs from , to the Sumatra bamboo rat, which can reach lengths of nearly with a tail, and weighs up to . However, they are all bulky, slow-mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
