biology of rodents and lagomorphs - universitetet i bergen · biology of rodents and lagomorphs...
TRANSCRIPT
Bio
logy
of ro
dent
s an
d la
gom
orph
s
Joanna
Godaw
a S
torm
ark
Taxo
no
my
of
rod
ents
Cla
ss :
Mam
mal
ia(m
amm
als)
Ord
er: R
od
enti
a(r
oden
ts)
Fam
ily: M
uri
de
(rat
s an
d m
ice)
Sub
-fam
ily: M
uri
nae
Gen
us:
Mu
s
Spec
ies:
Mu
s m
usc
ulu
s L
inn
aeus,
175
8
Gen
us:
Rat
tus
Spec
ies:
Rat
tus
no
rveg
icu
s(B
erke
nh
out,
176
9)
Ro
den
t o
rig
in a
nd
dis
trib
uti
on
nR
oden
t ar
e m
on
op
hyl
etic
s
nT
he
sub
-fam
ily M
urin
aeem
erge
d in
So
uth
east
ern
A
sia
at t
he
end o
f th
e o
ligo
cen
e a
nd t
he
star
t o
f th
e m
ioce
ne
per
iod
es (
25-2
0 m
ill. y
ears
ago
)
nO
ccurs
th
rough
out
the
wo
rld, e
xclu
din
g A
nta
rtic
a
Ro
den
t fe
atu
res
n2
pai
rs o
f in
ciso
rs in
th
e up
per
an
d lo
wer
jaw
nB
ehin
d t
he
inci
sors
is
a la
rge
gap
in t
he
too
th r
ow
s
calle
ddia
stem
a
nM
ost
sp
ecie
s ar
e n
oct
urn
al
nM
ost
sp
ecie
s ar
e co
nti
nuo
usl
y p
oly
oes
tro
us
Ro
den
t d
iet
nM
ost
sp
ecie
s ar
e h
erb
ivo
res,
so
me
are
om
niv
ore
s an
d in
sect
ivo
res
nH
erb
ivo
re r
od
ents
are
co
pro
ph
ago
us
Th
e m
ou
se
Mo
use
bre
edin
g
nT
he
mo
der
n la
bo
rato
ry m
ouse
is a
hyb
rid
of
thre
e su
b-s
pec
ies:
Mus
mus
culu
s m
uscu
lus,
M. m
.do
mes
ticu
san
d M
. m
. ca
stan
eus
nL
ifes
pan
is 1
-2 y
ears
nM
ouse
as
all ro
den
ts is
po
lyo
estr
ouse
nSe
xual
cyc
le las
ts 5
(4-
7) d
ays
nT
he
Wh
itte
n e
ffec
t o
ccurs
–th
e sy
nch
ron
izat
ion
of
the
estr
ous
cycl
es o
f fe
mal
e ex
po
sed
to
th
e p
her
om
on
es o
f a
mal
e
nT
he
Bru
ce e
ffec
t o
ccurs
-th
e e
xpo
sure
of
a re
cen
tly
bre
d m
ouse
to
th
e p
her
om
on
es o
f a
stra
nge
mal
e m
ouse
pre
ven
t im
pla
nta
tio
n o
r p
rod
uce
p
seud
op
regn
ancy
nL
ee B
oo
t ef
fect
occ
urs
Mo
use
bre
edin
g
nT
he
ges
tati
on
per
iod is
20
day
s
nT
he
aver
age
litte
r si
ze is
10-
12
nT
he
pup
s w
eigh
0.5
to
1.5
gra
ms
at b
irth
nP
up
s ar
e w
ean
ed a
t 3
wee
ks o
f ag
e
Mo
use
beh
avi
ou
r
nN
oct
urn
al
nL
abo
rato
ry m
ice
lack
”rap
id r
unni
ng”
beh
avio
r
”fre
ezin
g” b
ehav
ior
in o
pen
lan
dsc
apes
nF
igh
tin
g is
rel
ated
to
est
ablis
hm
ent
of
hie
rarc
hy
and
def
ence
to
ter
rito
ry
nB
arb
erin
g –
loca
l lo
ss o
f h
ear
and w
his
kers
nM
ice
is a
so
cial
an
imal
Mo
use
as
lab
ora
tory
an
imals
nF
irst
uti
lized
as
lab
ora
tory
an
imal
s in
stu
die
s o
f re
pro
duct
ion
an
d b
loo
d c
ircu
lati
on
nM
end
el’s
rule
was
tes
ted
in
lab
ora
tori
es a
ll o
ver
th
e w
orl
d:
(Bat
eson
1903)
in E
ngl
and
, (C
ueno
t 1908)
Fra
nce
an
d (
Cas
tle
1901)
in U
SA
nC
astl
e an
d A
llen
(19
03)
for
the
firs
t ti
me
des
crib
ed
alb
ino
mic
e as
rec
essi
ve s
trai
ns
nT
um
or
exp
erim
ents
infl
uen
ced
th
e d
evel
op
men
t o
f d
iffe
ren
t in
bre
d s
trai
ns
such
as
A,C
, CB
A, C
3H,
C57
BL
/J,
C57
BL
/10
, BA
LB
/c
and
oth
ers.
Mo
use
as
lab
ora
tory
an
imals
nIn
th
e 1920’s
an
d in
th
e 30’s
, in
bre
d m
ice
wer
e
no
t co
mm
erci
ally
ava
ilab
le
nT
his
ch
ange
d d
ram
atic
ally
ove
r th
e n
ext
15
year
s, e
spec
ially
wh
en T
he
Jack
son
Lab
ora
tory
em
erge
d a
nd
so
ld m
ice
all o
ver
the
wo
rld
Th
e ra
t
Rat
bre
edin
g
nT
he
rat
was
th
e fi
rst
mam
mal
to
be
bre
d f
or
use
as
a la
bo
rato
ry a
nim
al
nL
ifes
pan
as
in h
ouse
-mic
e
nSe
xual
cyc
le a
s in
ho
use
-mic
e
nT
he
Wh
itte
n e
ffec
t o
ccurs
but
is n
ot
as
pro
no
un
ced a
s in
mic
e
nT
he
Bru
ce e
ffec
t do
es n
ot
occ
ur
in r
ats
Dif
fere
nci
es b
etw
een
Rat
tus
ratt
us
an
d R
. n
orv
egic
us
Rat
bre
edin
g
nT
he
gest
atio
n p
erio
d is
22
day
s
nT
he
aver
age
litte
r si
ze is
6-1
2
nT
he
pup
s w
eigh
5-6
gra
ms
at b
irth
nC
ann
ibal
ism
is u
nco
mm
on
exc
ept
wit
h n
ew
mo
ther
s
nP
up
s ar
e w
ean
ed a
t 3
wee
ks o
f ag
e
Rat
as
lab
ora
tory
an
imal
nIn
th
e 18
th a
nd
19t
h c
entu
ry r
ats
wer
e fi
rst
caugh
t an
d b
red
fo
r use
in
rat
-fig
hts
nA
lbin
o, b
lack
an
d h
oo
ded
rat
s w
ere
sele
cted
fo
r d
esir
able
tra
its
nIn
th
e 19
th c
entu
ry a
lbin
o r
ats
wer
e use
d f
or
the
firs
t ti
me
in t
he
lab
ora
tory
fo
r p
hys
iolo
gica
l stu
die
s
nW
ista
r In
stitut
e of
Ana
tom
y an
d B
iolo
gyis
res
po
nsi
ble
fo
r m
ost
of
the
Wis
tar
and
Sp
ragu
e-D
awle
y ra
ts
thro
ugh
out
the
wo
rld
Wh
y are
ro
den
ts u
se i
n b
iom
edic
al
rese
arc
h?
nea
sy t
o k
eep
and
han
dle
nsm
all a
nd
inex
pen
sive
nh
igh
rep
rod
uct
ive
cap
acit
y
nsh
ort
gen
erat
ion
tim
e an
d li
fesp
an
nla
rge
num
ber
of
stra
ins
and
sto
cks
for
trad
itio
nal
lab
ora
tory
ro
den
ts
Lag
om
orp
hs
Lag
om
orp
hs
wer
e p
revi
ousl
y cl
assi
fied
as
rod
ents
, but
in 1
951
mo
ved
to
th
eir
ow
n o
rder
L
agom
orph
a
Tax
on
om
y o
f la
go
mo
rph
s
Cla
ss: M
amm
alia
Ord
er: L
agom
orph
a(l
ago
mo
rph
s)
Fam
ily: L
epor
idae
(rab
bit
s an
d h
ares
)
Gen
us:
Ory
ctol
agus
(R
abb
its)
Spec
ies:
Ory
ctol
agus
cun
icul
us L
inn
aeus,
1758
(Euro
pea
n r
abb
it)
Th
e ra
bb
it
Rab
bit
ori
gin
nT
he
rab
bit
is
nat
ive
to w
este
rn E
uro
pa
and n
ort
hw
est
Afr
ica
nT
he
spec
ies
was
do
mes
tica
ted a
lrea
dy
in R
om
an t
imes
in I
taly
an
d N
ort
her
n A
fric
a
nT
oday
we
kno
w m
ore
th
en 5
0 ra
ces
of
do
mes
tic
rab
bit
, o
rigi
nat
ing
fro
m o
ne
spec
ies
Rab
bit
beh
avi
or
nR
abb
it a
re g
ener
ally
tim
id a
nd
no
nag
ress
ive
nR
abb
its
are
greg
ario
us
anim
als
nR
abb
its
are
no
cturn
al
nA
ll ra
bb
it h
ave
en e
scap
e in
stin
ct
Rab
bit
dig
esti
ve s
yste
m
nC
op
rop
hag
ous
nT
hey
eat
mo
ist
feca
l p
elle
ts p
roduce
d a
t n
igh
t
nF
eces
, ric
h in
vit
amin
s an
d p
rote
in, a
re
con
sum
ed d
irec
tly
fro
m a
nus
nT
he
cecu
m is
ver
y la
rge
Rab
bit
bre
edin
g
nL
ifes
pan
is 5
-6 y
ears
nR
abb
its
are
ind
uce
d o
vula
tors
wit
ho
va r
elea
sed
10-1
3 h
ours
fo
llow
ing
cop
ula
tio
n
nA
vera
ge g
esta
tio
n is
32 d
ays
nT
he
aver
age
litte
r si
ze is
7-8
nT
he
youn
g w
eigh
30-
100
g at
bir
th
nC
ann
ibal
ism
is r
are
Rab
bit
as
lab
ora
tory
an
imal
nB
ecau
se o
f si
ze, r
abb
its
are
use
d in
surg
ical
re
sear
ch
nT
hey
are
use
d in
pro
duct
ion
of
po
lycl
on
al
anti
bo
die
s an
d p
yro
gen
tes
tin
g
No
men
clatu
re o
f la
bo
rato
ry r
ats
an
d m
ice
is
au
tho
rize
d b
y:
nIn
tern
atio
nal
Rat
Gen
etic
No
men
clat
ure
C
om
mit
tee
nIn
tern
atio
nal
Co
mm
itte
e o
n
Stan
dar
diz
ed N
om
encl
ature
fo
r M
ice
Eve
ry a
pp
rove
d b
reed
er is
co
ded
in
th
e
no
men
cla
ture’s
ab
brevia
tio
n
Ou
tbre
d s
tock
s:n
Han
Tac
:WH
nN
Tac
:SD
Inb
read
str
ain
s:n
BA
LB
/cJ
Bo
mT
ac
nL
E/H
anM
olT
ac
Su
bst
rain
s:
nD
BA
/1J
nD
BA
/2J
Use
ful
lin
ks
nIn
stit
ute
fo
r L
ab
ora
tory
Res
earc
hh
ttp
://
del
s.n
as.
edu
/il
ar
nN
om
encl
atu
re r
ule
fo
r ra
ts a
nd
mic
eh
ttp
://
ww
w.i
nfo
rmati
cs.j
ax.o
rg/
nT
aco
nic
M&
B A
Sh
ttp
://
ww
w .
m-b
.dk
nL
ab
ora
tory
an
imal
dep
art
men
t (V
ivari
um
, B
BB
, G
ad
e)h
ttp
://
ww
w.u
ib.n
o/
dyr
eavd
/
Hou
sing
of ro
dent
s
Ro
den
t h
usb
an
dry
nA
wid
e va
riet
y o
f ca
ges
is a
vaila
ble
fo
r ro
den
ts
nT
he
size
an
d h
eigh
t o
f th
e ca
ges
use
d f
or
each
ro
den
t
spec
ies
is r
egula
ted
by
reco
mm
end
atio
ns
of
the
Euro
pea
n C
on
ven
tio
n
nP
last
ic in
th
e fo
rm o
f m
acro
lon
is t
he
mo
st o
ften
use
d
cage
mat
eria
l
Ro
den
t b
edd
ing
an
d f
oo
d
nT
he
bed
din
g m
ust
be
abso
rpti
ve
nA
spen
sh
avin
g is
use
in
our
dep
artm
ent
nB
oth
fo
od a
nd b
eddin
g
are
cert
ifie
d t
o b
e fr
ee o
f
chem
ical
an
d m
icro
bia
l
con
tam
inan
ts
nF
oo
d is
sup
plie
d in
th
e
form
of
pel
lets
nF
or
rats
an
d m
ice
MR
1
(Rat
an
d M
ouse
nr.
1
Mai
nte
nan
ce)
fro
m
Spec
ial D
iet
Ser
vice
is
use
d
Th
e ra
t