Joseph. Cannizzaro, Sandra L. Koch, William H. Graser
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract We discovered mammalian hair in the feces of an adult female Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's Turtle) in a palustrine marsh in northern Illinois on 28 April 2021. Comparison and analysis of guard-hair length, proximal shaft pattern, and cross section of the shield region revealed the hair to be that of an Ondatra zibethicus (Muskrat). This is the first recorded mammalian food item of a Blanding's Turtle and is the second time a novel prey item has been documented in the diet of a Blanding's Turtle at this site. In light of this discovery, we suggest a need for additional diet studies on this turtle.
期刊介绍:
The Northeastern Naturalist covers all aspects of the natural history sciences of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms and the environments of the northeastern portion of North America, roughly bounded from Virginia to Missouri, north to Minnesota and Nunavut, east to Newfoundland, and south back to Virginia. Manuscripts based on field studies outside of this region that provide information on species within this region may be considered at the Editor’s discretion.
The journal welcomes manuscripts based on observations and research focused on the biology of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms and communities as it relates to their life histories and their function within, use of, and adaptation to the environment and the habitats in which they are found, as well as on the ecology and conservation of species and habitats. Such studies may encompass measurements, surveys, and/or experiments in the field, under lab conditions, or utilizing museum and herbarium specimens. Subject areas include, but are not limited to, anatomy, behavior, biogeography, biology, conservation, evolution, ecology, genetics, parasitology, physiology, population biology, and taxonomy. Strict lab, modeling, and simulation studies on natural history aspects of the region, without any field component, will be considered for publication as long as the research has direct and clear significance to field naturalists and the manuscript discusses these implications.