Incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life in the skull of ground squirrels (Sciuridae, Rodentia).

ABSTRACT: Anatomical and biological specializations have been studied extensively in fossorial rodents, especially in subterranean species, such as mole-rats or pocket-gophers. Sciurids (i.e., squirrels) are mostly known for their diverse locomotory behaviors, and encompass many arboreal species. They also include less specialized fossorial species, such as ground squirrels that are mainly scratch diggers. The skull of ground squirrels remains poorly investigated in a fossorial context, while it may reflect incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life, especially due to the putative use of incisors for digging in some taxa. Here, we present the results of a comparative analysis of the skull of five fossorial sciurid species, and compare those to four arboreal sciurids, one

SUBMITTER: Gomes Rodrigues H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10107104 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature