Mammalogy Exam 1

Front 1

crepuscular

Back 1

coming out at dusk

Front 2

osteoderm

Back 2

jointed armor (found in armadillos); bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin

Front 3

vermiform

Back 3

shaped like a worm, usually in reference to a tongue

Front 4

protrusible

Back 4

a body part (generally a tongue) capable of being protruded or extended

Front 5

axial skeleton

Back 5

the part of the skeleton that includes the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum

Front 6

neopallium

Back 6

part of the brain responsible for learned behavior and communicating between more primitive parts of the brain and the motor skills within the brain

Front 7

phylogeny

Back 7

creating a tree to explain evolutionary relatedness between taxa based on characters

Front 8

taxonomy

Back 8

the branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms; systematics; ordering species into groups and naming these groups; grouping and identifying animals with similar characteristics

Front 9

cladistics

Back 9

a method of classification of animals and plants according to the proportion of measurable characteristics that two organisms share, the more recently they diverged from a common ancestor

Front 10

monophyletic

Back 10

descended from a common evolutionary ancestor or ancestral group, especially one not shared with any other group

Front 11

suspensorial (locomotion)

Back 11

movement that involves hanging or suspension of the body below or among branches, as opposed to sitting in the branches

Front 12

tapetum lucidum

Back 12

layer of tissue in eye of many vertebrates that forces it to reflect green; Latin meaning "bright tapestry"

Front 13

type genus

Back 13

usually the first genus in the family to the named, or the genus that is considered most important; families are name after type genera, e.g. Tyrannosaurus is type genus for family Tyrannosauridae

Front 14

columnar

Back 14

axis of weight-bearing is completely vertical, so limbs are directly underneath weight load, as opposed to mammals with a knee at an angle to limbs; disadvantage is that three legs must be down at any one time

Front 15

graviportal

Back 15

having the body supports adapted to the bearing of great weights; slow gait as a result of large size/heaviness

Front 16

torpor

Back 16

state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate, enabling animals to survive periods of reduced food availability; less of a reduction in metabolic rate compared to hibernation

Front 17

heterodontic

Back 17

describing an animal which possesses more than a single tooth morphology

Front 18

derived character

Back 18

aka synapomorphy, a trait shared by everyone in a clade, therefore distinguishing that clade from other clades; trait assumed to be present in their most recent common ancestor

Front 19

auditory bullae

Back 19

a hollow, bony structure on the ventral, posterior portion of the skull that encloses parts of the middle and inner ear; in most species, formed by the tympanic part of the temporal bone

Front 20

bunodont

Back 20

describing molars with low, rounded, hill-like cusps rather than sharp peaks which are generally quadrate and effective crushing devices; most common in omnivores such as pigs, bears, and humans

Front 21

hypsodont

Back 21

describing teeth which are characterized by high crowns and enamel extending far past the gum line, providing extra material for wear and tear and molars of this type grow throughout life; examples are horses and other animals feeding on gritty, fibrous material

Front 22

lophodont

Back 22

describing teeth identified by patterns of ridges or lophs of enamel interconnecting the cusps on the crowns, which can be a simple ring-like edge; present in most herbivores

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syndactyly

Back 23

condition of having some or all of the fingers or toes wholly or party united (think Pilosa, Brachypodidae)

Front 24

marsupium

Back 24

a pouch that protects eggs, offspring, or reproductive structures, especially the pouch of a female marsupial mammal

Front 25

mesaxonic

Back 25

having the axis of the foot formed by the middle digit

Front 26

choriovitelline placenta

Back 26

a type of placenta with less prominent villi than the chorioallantoic placenta, resulting in comparatively less efficient nutrient transfer; a placentation in which the yolk sac becomes involved in the fetal-maternal union

Front 27

fossorial

Back 27

specialized for digging

Front 28

saltatorial

Back 28

specialized for leaping

Front 29

cursorial

Back 29

specialized for speed

Front 30

zygomatic arch

Back 30

the arched bony structure connecting the area below the orbit to the temporalis; the masseter, temporalis, and pterygoidal muscles all attach to this arch to aid in mastication; colloquially, "cheekbones"

Front 31

diastema

Back 31

the space separating teeth of different functions, especially that between the biting teeth (incisors and canines) and grinding or "cheek" teeth (premolars and molars) in rodents and ungulates

Front 32

xenarthrous articulation

Back 32

deriving from "Xenarthra" meaning "strange joints", describes a skeletal arrangement typical of Cingulata in which the vertebral joints have additional articulations lacking in other mammals; trait is referred to as xenarthy (note that Cingulata also has a fused ischium and sacrum)

Front 33

diphyodont dentition

Back 33

the condition of having two successive sets of teeth - the initial deciduous set and then the "permanent set"; most mammals are diphyodonts

Front 34

countershading

Back 34

protective coloration of some animal sin which parts normally in shadow are light and those exposed to the sky are dark

Front 35

pinnae

Back 35

the external part of the ear in humans and other mammals; the auricle

Front 36

caecum

Back 36

pouch connected to junction of small and large intestine; hind-gut fermenters use this is a site for microbial fermentation of cellulose, but this process is far slower than ruminant foregut fermentation

Front 37

sagittal crest

Back 37

the bony ridge on top of the skull to which the jaw muscles are attached in metatherians

Front 38

oviparous

Back 38

producing young by means of eggs hatched after they were laid by the parent

Front 39

plantigrade

Back 39

the condition of walking on the full soles of the feet, e.g. humans and bears

Front 40

digitigrade

Back 40

the condition of walking on the toes, e.g. cats and dogs; somewhat adapted for cursorial locomotion

Front 41

unguligrade

Back 41

the condition of walking on the nails, e.g. horses and deer; excellently adapted for cursorial locomotion