Roberta Goli's Blog

Posted by Roberta Goli

Despite the fact that chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, they lack the ability to talk the way we humans do. Scientists recently pinpointed a gene mutation, which they think is responsible for this.

Apparently this mutation is what helps humans speak and while scientists say it’s unlikely to be the only gene involved in speech and language, that it’s an important one. The gene in chimps looks and behaves differently than in humans and that this gene mutated around the same time that humans developed speech. This gene, FOXP2 if mutated in humans, causes speech disorders.

For more information about the gene visit the Greschwind Lab website.

Posted by Roberta Goli

Two of the nine categories under Mammals on Suite 101 are Bipeds and Quadrupeds. Do you know the difference between a bipedal mammal and a quadrupedal mammal? You probably do.

You may be aware that bi means two and quad means four, and the words biped and quadruped comes from the Latin words for two (bi), four (quad) and foot (ped). In regards to mammals, or animals in general, bipedalism and quadrupedalism are forms of terrestrial locomotion.

Bipedal animals walk, run, hop or jump on two legs and quadrupedal animals walk, run, stand on four legs. There are several bipedal mammals around. These include:

• Humans
• Non-human primates: monkeys, apes and chimpanzees
• Wallabies
• Kangaroos
• Lemurs
• Springhares

Although non-human primates use their arms for swinging and at times, knuckle walking, they use bipedal locomotion regularly. Some animals don’t move bipedally but they do exhibit bipedal behaviours by standing on their hind legs when they fight (bears), eat (mice) or while they look for signs of predators (meerkats).

Most mammals are quadrupeds that move on all four limbs. Some of these include:

• Dogs
• Tasmanian devils
• Polar bears
• Hyenas
• Giraffes
• Camels
• Elephants

For more information on bipeds and quadrupeds, visit these categories under the mammals’ topic.

Posted by Roberta Goli

Recently a friend of mine posed the question ‘What’s the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca?’. I realized that this was something that a lot of people don’t know. While llamas and alpacas have many similarities, most people are unaware of their differences.

Llamas and alpacas are closely related and thought to share a common ancestor, along with the camels of Africa and Asia.

Current taxonomy of the Alpaca

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Family: Camelidae
• Genes: Vicugna
• Species: V. pacos

Current taxonomy of the Llama

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Family: Camelidae
• Species: V. pacos
• Species: L. glana

Their main differences are in their use and their appearance. The llama is almost twice the size of the alpaca and has banana (curved) shaped ears. Llamas are strong animals often used as pack animals as well as for fleece and have been used for meat. They have a straight back line and a high tail set. Llamas usually have two types of hair on their coat, a soft undercoat as well as longer, courser hair called guard hairs.

Alpacas, being around half the size of llamas have short pointed ears and a rounded sloping rear end. Bred for its fleece the alpaca coat is soft and warm and contains no course guard hairs. Both animals spit, however, it is alleged that this behaviour has been mostly bred out of the llama. Because the llama has been used for meat, any spitting llama was sure to be eaten. Neither animal usually spit at humans and both have nice temperaments

For more information about the llama, read Llama are Used for Fleece and as Pack Animals.

For more information about alpacas, read Running and Breeding Alpacas for Fleece and Diseases Known to Affect Alpacas.

Posted by Roberta Goli

Recently a group of protestors delivered five dead koalas in coffins outside Queensland’s Parliament House, Australia. The protesters are claiming that the marsupials are close to becoming extinct and want the government to do something about it. Threats to these cute, furry mammals include:

• Disease
• Being hit by cars
• Dog attacks
• Destruction of koala habitat due to development
• Forest fires

Stress brought on by the these threats causes the virus chlamydiosis to flare up in koalas and is also threatening to wipe them out, already affecting 50-90% of the population.

Chlamydiosis causes sores, similar to cold sores, which lead to infections of the eye, urinary tract, reproductive and respiratory systems resulting in blindness, infertility and death. The Australian Koala Foundation is urging governments to classify koalas as a threatened species and to implement protection policies.

Queensland government has since announced that it would protect koala habitats at Alexandra Hills in Queensland, and are planning a protection policy in an attempt to reduce the koalas declining numbers.

Source: Rally brings dead koalas to parliament

For more information about the koala read Koala Facts – Phascolarctos cinereus.

Posted by Roberta Goli

It never fails to put a frown on my face when I read a title like the one above. One in six Mediterranean mammals face extinction due to destruction of habitats, climate change and agriculture according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of nature). Of the 320 mammals studied recently, it was found that:

• 3% were critically endangered
• 5% were endangered
• 8% were vulnerable

What does that mean exactly? Well an animal that is critically endangered means that it is at high risk of extinction, and endangered animal may face high risk of extinction in the future, and a vulnerable animal is on that is at a medium risk of extinction.

Species at risk in the Mediterranean include large herbivores such as deer and smaller herbivores like the rabbit as well as some carnivores. Included among the endangered are the Mediterranean Monk Seal and the Iberian Lynx. 27% of the mammals studied had a declining population and 8 species including the common hippopotamus and the fallow have become extinct in these areas already.

The biggest threat is the destruction of habitats. While we can’t move all the humans out, accepting these animals, preventing hunting; restoration of habitats and food chains; and protection of threatened species would help the survival rates of these mammals.

Whales and dolphins were not included in the study conducted by over 250 mammal experts.

Source: Endangered Mediterranean Mammals Highlight Intriguing Region and One in Six Mediterranean Mammals Face Extinction.

Posted by Roberta Goli

Posted by Roberta Goli

Do you know the difference between a mammal, a marsupial or a monotreme? Don't feel bad if you don't, it can be confusing, but there are a few simple things that set them apart.

Some Mammalian characteristics are:

• All mammals have hair somewhere on their body (even marine mammals, it's just not easily visible).
• Mammals are warm-blooded animals.
• The word mammal is derived from the words mammary glands and female mammals have them.
• Mammals breath air via lungs (yes, marine mammals too!)

Some examples of mammals are monkeys, bears, humans, koalas, whales, mice, horses, dogs, cats, cheetahs, camels, elephants, bats and the list could go on. With over 4600 species, mammals are pretty diverse!

Marsupials and monotremes still fall under the Class Mammalia, but while most mammals give birth to live young, the marsupials and monotremes do it a little differently.

• Marsupial young are born live but continue their development inside the mother's pouch. An example of a marsupial is the kangaroo.
• Monotremes are a small group of mammals that lay young inside of egg. An example of a monotreme is the duck-billed platypus.

To learn more about the differences and similarities between the mammals, marsupials and monotremes, read Mammals, Monotremes and Marsupials: Mammalian characteristics and the Diversity of Mammals