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Rhagamys
''Rhagamys'' is an extinct genus of rodents in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World mice and rats. The genus was established by the Swiss zoologist Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major to accommodate ''Rhagamys orthodon'', which is the only species in the genus. It was endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, descending from '' Rhagapodemus'', which had colonised the islands around 3.6 million years ago. Its closest living relatives are of the genus ''Apodemus,'' which includes the field and wood mice. Taxonomy and evolution The ancestors of ''Rhagamys'', belonging the widespread genus '' Rhagapodemus'', first arrived in Corsica-Sardinia during the Early-Late Pliocene transition, around 3.6 million years ago. Three chronospecies of the lineage have been named, including "''Rhagapodemus''" ''azzarolii'' from the earliest Late Pliocene, followed by "''Rhagapodemus''" ''minor'' from the Early Pleistocene, succeeded by ''Rhagamys orthodon'', which ranged from the Midd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Island Gigantism
Island gigantism, or insular gigantism, is a biological phenomenon in which the size of an animal species isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to its mainland relatives. Island gigantism is one aspect of the more general "island effect" or "Foster's rule", which posits that when mainland animals colonize islands, small species tend to evolve larger bodies, and large species tend to evolve smaller bodies (insular dwarfism). This is itself one aspect of the more general phenomenon of island syndrome which describes the differences in morphology, ecology, physiology and behaviour of insular (island) species compared to their continental counterparts. Following the arrival of humans and associated introduced predators (dogs, cats, rats, pigs), many giant as well as other island endemics have become extinct (e.g. the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire, giant flightless pigeons related to the Nicobar pigeon). A similar size increase, as well as increased woodiness, has b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhagapodemus
''Rhagapodemus'' is a genus of extinct rodent from the Miocene to Pleistocene periods. Most species are known from European localities, although ''R. debruijni'' comes from India. Taxonomy ''Rhagapodemus'' was closely related to the field mice of the genus ''Apodemus''. One species, ''R. minor'', is considered ancestral to another extinct genus, ''Rhagamys'', which was endemic to Sardinia and Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ... up until the end of the Pleistocene. References {{Taxonbar, from= Q107802966 Prehistoric rodent genera Miocene rodents Pliocene rodents Pleistocene rodents Prehistoric mammals of Europe Prehistoric mammals of Asia Muridae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murinae
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents. Description The Murinae are native to Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. They are terrestrial placental mammals. They have also been introduced to all continents except Antarctica, and are serious pest animals. This is particularly true in island communities where they have contributed to the endangerment and extinction of many native animals. Two prominent murine species have become vital laboratory animals: the brown rat and house mouse are both used as medical subjects. The murines have a distinctive molar pattern that involves three rows of cusps instead of two, the primitive pattern seen most frequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammuthus Lamarmorai
''Mammuthus lamarmorai'' is a species of dwarf mammoth which lived during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene (between 450,000 and perhaps 40,000 years ago) on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean. It has been estimated to have had a shoulder height of around . Remains have been found across the western part of the island. Description ''M. lamaromorai'' is only known from a small number of remains, including a fragmentary partial skeleton, and isolated finds of other bones. Of the few known molars only one represents the rearmost tooth, which is 13 cm long and 6.9 cm wide, with at least eleven ridges on the enamel.Maria Rita Palombo: ''Elephants in miniature.'' In: Harald Meller (ed.): ''Elefantenreich – Eine Fossilwelt in Europa.'' Halle/Saale, 2010, pp. 275–295 The humerus reaches a length of . The few discovered tusk fragments exhibit only a small maximum diameter of . The length of the femur indicates a shoulder height of . Weight estimates have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microtus Henseli
''Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli'' is an extinct species of vole belonging to the genus ''Microtus'' that was endemic to Sardinia and Corsica during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Taxonomy and evolution It is placed in the subgenus ''Tyrrhenicola,'' alongside its probable ancestor, the early Middle Pleistocene species ''Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) sondaari,'' which probably descended from a population of '' Allophaiomys'' that arrived in Sardinia between 1.2 million and 0.8 million years ago. The arrival of ''Microtus (Tyrrhenicola)'' on Sardinia marks a faunal turnover event from the Early Pleistocene '' Nesogoral'' faunal complex and the Middle-Late Pleistocene ''Microtus (Tyrrhenicola)'' faunal complex. The oldest dates for ''M. henseli'' are over 500,000 years old. The youngest dates for the species on Sardinia around 1300 BC, while in Corsica the species is suggested to have become extinct between 393 BC and the 6th century AD. It may have become extinct as a result of introd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talpa Tyrrhenica
''Talpa tyrrhenica'', also known as the Tyrrhenian mole, is an extinct species of mole belonging to the genus '' Talpa''. It was endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia during the Pleistocene epoch. It was first described in 1945 by Dorothea Bate, Remains with affinities to the species extend back to around 2 to 2.1 million years ago on the archipelago, during the Early Pleistocene. It is suggested to have evolved from the mainland European species ''Talpa minor'', which is known from the archipelago during the Pliocene. It is estimated to have been around 15% larger than its mainland ancestor. The species survived into the Late Pleistocene, but the timing of its extinction is uncertain due to a lack of radiocarbon dates. Paleoenviroment During the Middle-Late Pleistocene Corsica and Sardinia had their own highly endemic depauperate terrestrial mammal fauna which besides ''T. tyrrhenica'' included Tyrrhenian field rat, ('' Rhagamys orthodon''), the Sardinian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sardinian Dhole
The Sardinian dhole (genus ''Cynotherium'' especially ''C. sardous'') is an extinct insular canid which was endemic to what is now the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. It went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene around the time of human settlement of the islands. Its scientific name means "dog-beast of Sardinia", the genus name from the and and the specific name from the , alt. form of . Around the size of a jackal, morphological studies indicate it was a specialised stalking predator of small mammals and birds, with a probable preference for the endemic Sardinian pika. Evolution The oldest remains of ''Cynotherium'' on Sardinia date to around the early-Middle Pleistocene transition around 800,000 years ago, associated with a faunal turnover event on Sardinia likely caused low sea levels allowing dispersal to Sardinia-Corsica from mainland Italy. ''Cynotherium'' is suggested to have originated from the species '' Xenocyon l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apodemus
''Apodemus'' is a genus of Muridae, murid (true mice and rats) containing the field mice as well as other well-known species like the wood mouse and the yellow-necked mouse. The name is unrelated to that of the ''Mus (genus), Mus'' genus, instead being derived from the Greek ἀπό-δημος (literally ''away from home''). Taxonomy Related to the Ryūkyū spiny rats (''Tokudaia'') and the prehistoric ''Rhagamys'' – and far more distantly to ''Mus (genus), Mus'' and ''Malacomys'' – it includes these species: ''Apodemus sensu stricto'' * Striped field mouse, ''A. agrarius'' * Small Japanese field mouse, ''A. argenteus'' * Chevrier's field mouse, ''A. chevrieri'' ''Alsomys'' * South China field mouse, ''A. draco'' * Himalayan field mouse, ''A. gurkha'' * Sichuan field mouse, ''A. latronum'' * Korean field mouse, ''A. peninsulae'' * Taiwan field mouse, ''A. semotus'' * Large Japanese field mouse, ''A. speciosus'' ''Sylvaemus'' * Alpine field mouse, ''A. alpicola'' * Y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia and 16.45 km south of the French island of Corsica. It has over 1.5 million inhabitants as of 2025. It is one of the five Italian regions with some degree of Autonomous administrative division, domestic autonomy being granted by a Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, special statute. Its official name, Autonomous Region of Sardinia, is bilingual in Italian language, Italian and Sardinian language, Sardinian: / . It is divided into four provinces of Italy, provinces and a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city. Its capital (and largest city) is Cagliari. Sardinia's indigenous language and Algherese dialect, Algherese Catalan language, Catalan are referred to by both the regional and national law as two of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enhydrictis
''Enhydrictis'' is a genus of extinct mustelid, belonging to the subfamily Galictinae. The type species, and best known, is ''Enhydrictis galictoides'' from the Pleistocene of Sardinia and Corsica. Some authors attribute species from mainland Eurasia to the genus, but this is disputed, with others considering the genus endemic to Sardinia-Corsica. Taxonomy The exact number of species of ''Enhydrictis'' has been a matter of debate. One species of '' Pannonictis'', ''Pannonictis pilgrimi'', has been classified as a belonging to ''Enhydrictis'' (as ''Enhydrictis ardea''), although this is unlikely. A 2019 study also suggests that the genus '' Oriensictis'' of Asia should be considered a synonym of ''Enhydrictis'' as well. In 2016, a new species from Algeria was described. Known as ''Enhydrictis hoffstetteri'', it is the first member of the genus known from Africa. Other scholars have considered the attribution of this species to ''Enhydrictis'' doubtful, and that the species should b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabiting Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Mammoths are distinguished from living elephants by their (typically large) spirally twisted tusks and in some later species, the development of numerous adaptions to living in cold environments, including a thick layer of fur. Mammoths and Asian elephants are more closely related to each other than they are to African elephants. The oldest mammoth representative, '' Mammuthus subplanifrons'', appeared around 6 million years ago during the late Miocene in what is now southern and Eastern Africa.'''' Later in the Pliocene, by about three million years ago, mammoths dispersed into Eurasia, eventually covering most of Eurasia before migrating into North America around 1.5–1.3 million year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ictonychinae
Ictonychinae is a subfamily of the mammal Family (biology), family Mustelidae found mainly in the Neotropics (three species) and Africa (three species), with one Eurasian member. It includes the grisons, Patagonian weasel, Ictonyx, striped polecats, African striped weasel, and marbled polecat. These genera were formerly included within a paraphyletic definition of the mustelid subfamily Mustelinae. Most members have a mask-like bar or larger dark marking across their faces; the African representatives of the group are striped. A defense mechanism common to the group is use of a Chemical defense#Mammals, chemical spray similar to (but not necessarily as strong as) that of skunks. Species Subfamily Ictonychinae Fossil genera *''Cernictis'' *''Enhydrictis'' *''Martellictis'' *''Lutravus'' *''Oriensictis'' *''Pannonictis'' *''Propoecilogale'' *''Sminthosinis'' *''Stipanicicia'' *''Trigonictis'' *''Trochictis'' References External links Ictonychinae, {{carnivor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
