Rodents, the incredibly versatile creatures, have always piqued the interest of researchers. From their digging behaviors to their senses, rodents display a variety of captivating adjustments that aid their survival in different habitats. At the core of their abilities lie the adaptations in their brains and sensory faculties which play a role in their daily existence.
Introduction
– Animal body size, and in particular body mass (live weight), determines many biological and ecological traits including food intake, metabolism, thermoregulation, generation time, longevity, growth rate, home range size, reproductive strategy, extent of sexual dimorphism and even extinction risk (e.g. Peters 1983; Damuth & MacFadden 1990). Being large comes with certain competitive advantages.
The National Museum has recently embarked on a long process of upgrading its Mammal exhibition halls. While we are excited about the prospects of the changes, this mission also presents us with an opportunity to reflect on the composition and layout of the existing mammal displays.
The Free State Province hosts a fairly large diversity of mammal predator species (≈ carnivores). Thirty-nine of our 103 indigenous mammal species can be defined as carnivores. While 19 of these species belong to the order Carnivora, 20 other species are also considered to be carnivores, belonging to the orders Tubulidentata (the Aardvark, which is a specialist ant and termite feeder), Macroscelidea (the Eastern rock sengi or elephant shrew; eats insects and other invertebrates, but also some plant material), Eulipotyphla (including six shrew and one hedgehog species; they eat mostly insects, but also earthworms,
Dr Nico Avenant, mammologist at the National Museum, Bloemfontein, was recently approached to identify two hedgehogs which were allegedly purchased from a pet shop.
The new owners became concerned when they learnt that it is illegal to have hedgehogs in captivity without a permit and took them to the offices of the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) in Bloemfontein.