Rodent - Knowledge

2174: 3694: 2706: 2622: 2115: 3888: 153: 2405: 3340: 2240: 3154: 2322: 2840: 2511: 1418:, for example, the belly reflects more UV light than the back. Therefore, when a degu stands up on its hind legs, which it does when alarmed, it exposes its belly to other degus and ultraviolet vision may serve a purpose in communicating the alarm. When it stands on all fours, its low UV-reflectance back could help make the degu less visible to predators. Ultraviolet light is abundant during the day but not at night. There is a large increase in the ratio of ultraviolet to visible light in the morning and evening twilight hours. Many rodents are active during twilight hours (crepuscular activity), and UV-sensitivity would be advantageous at these times. Ultraviolet reflectivity is of dubious value for nocturnal rodents. 4209: 2481: 3360: 4922:. Dormice were raised by the Romans in special pots called "gliraria", or in large outdoor enclosures, where they were fattened on walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns. The dormice were also caught from the wild in autumn when they were fattest, and either roasted and dipped into honey or baked while stuffed with a mixture of pork, pine nuts, and other flavorings. Researchers found that in Amazonia, where large mammals were scarce, pacas and common agoutis accounted for around 40 percent of the annual game taken by the indigenous people, but in forested areas where larger mammals were abundant, these rodents constituted only about 3 percent of the take. 1532:. Males with territories are known as "resident" males and the females that live within the territories are known as "resident" females. In the case of marmots, resident males do not appear to ever lose their territories and always win encounters with invading males. Some species are also known to directly defend their resident females and the ensuing fights can lead to severe wounding. In species with non-defense polygyny, males are not territorial and wander widely in search of females to monopolize. These males establish dominance hierarchies, with the high-ranking males having access to the most females. This occurs in species like 4121:(1855) was the first to propose dividing Rodentia into three suborders, Sciuromorpha, Hystricomorpha and Myomorpha, based on the development of certain muscles in the jaw and this system was widely accepted. Schlosser (1884) performed a comprehensive review of rodent fossils, mainly using the cheek teeth, and found that they fitted into the classical system, but Tullborg (1899) proposed just two sub-orders, Sciurognathi and Hystricognathi. These were based on the degree of inflection of the lower jaw and were to be further subdivided into Sciuromorpha, Myomorpha, Hystricomorpha and Bathyergomorpha. Matthew (1910) created a 3664: 2592: 2810: 3964: 2352: 1250:. The naked mole rat lives completely underground and can form colonies of up to 80 individuals. Only one female and up to three males in the colony reproduce, while the rest of the members are smaller and sterile, and function as workers. Some individuals are of intermediate size. They help with the rearing of the young and can take the place of a reproductive if one dies. The Damaraland mole rat is characterized by having a single reproductively active male and female in a colony where the remaining animals are not truly sterile, but become fertile only if they establish a colony of their own. 1329: 4167: 898: 3191: 1740:, where information processing is biased by whether they are in a positive or negative affective state. For example, laboratory rats trained to respond to a specific tone by pressing a lever to receive a reward, and to press another lever in response to a different tone so as to avoid receiving an electric shock, are more likely to respond to an intermediate tone by choosing the reward lever if they have just been tickled (something they enjoy), indicating "a link between the directly measured positive affective state and decision making under uncertainty in an animal model." 3510: 2292: 5318: 3291: 3233: 2382: 4747: 3552: 3937: 5097:

handled from a young age, they are usually docile and do not bite. Guinea pigs have a long lifespan and need a large cage. Rats also need plenty of space and can become very tame, can learn tricks and seem to enjoy human companionship. Mice are short-lived but take up very little space. Hamsters are solitary but tend to be nocturnal. They have interesting behaviors, but unless handled regularly they may be defensive. Gerbils are not usually aggressive, rarely bite and are sociable animals that enjoy the company of humans and their own kind.

3789: 3483: 2135: 4860: 3769: 3831: 634: 3861: 3040: 2736: 2534: 1775: 4149: 1163: 5106: 236: 4181: 3444: 3424: 4223: 1875: 13286: 5089: 963: 1219: 797: 3714: 2645: 654: 1435: 2217: 1055: 730: 183: 4962: 4195: 13298: 213: 1652: 199: 1397:, and is interpreted as an expectation of something rewarding. In clinical studies, the chirping is associated with positive emotional feelings, and social bonding occurs with the tickler, resulting in the rats becoming conditioned to seek the tickling. However, as the rats age, the tendency to chirp declines. Like most rat vocalizations, the chirping is at frequencies too high for humans to hear without special equipment, so 1484: 1264: 169: 2863: 356: 1713: 3984: 2759: 1540: 1112: 1621: 1848:

multituberculates is a controversial topic, not fully resolved. American and European multituberculate assemblages do decline in diversity in correlation with the introduction of rodents in these areas, but the remaining Asian multituberculates co-existed with rodents with no observable replacement taking place, and ultimately both clades co-existed for at least 15 million years.

741:, can weigh as much as 66 kg (146 lb), most rodents weigh less than 100 g (3.5 oz). Rodents have wide-ranging morphologies, but typically have squat bodies and short limbs. The fore limbs usually have five digits, including an opposable thumb, while the hind limbs have three to five digits. The elbow gives the forearms great flexibility. The majority of species are 13274: 681:, occurs between the incisors and the cheek teeth in most species. This allows rodents to suck in their cheeks or lips to shield their mouth and throat from wood shavings and other inedible material, discarding this waste from the sides of their mouths. Chinchillas and guinea pigs have a high-fiber diet; their molars have no roots and grow continuously like their incisors. 1134:

the idea that primitive rodents were omnivores rather than herbivores. Studies of the literature show that numerous members of the Sciuromorpha and Myomorpha, and a few members of the Hystricomorpha, have either included animal matter in their diets or been prepared to eat such food when offered it in captivity. Examination of the stomach contents of the North American

1368: 669:. These incisors have thick layers of enamel on the front and little enamel on the back. Because they do not stop growing, the animal must continue to wear them down so that they do not reach and pierce the skull. As the incisors grind against each other, the softer dentine on the rear of the teeth wears away, leaving the sharp enamel edge shaped like the blade of a 4941:, is made from mud and clay reinforced with straw and hair from animals such as guinea pigs. In Peru, there are at any time 20 million domestic guinea pigs, which annually produce 64 million edible carcasses. This animal is an excellent food source since the flesh is 19% protein. In the United States, mostly squirrels, but also muskrats, porcupines, and 5004:. Guinea pigs were popular laboratory animals until the late 20th century; about 2.5 million guinea pigs were used annually in the United States for research in the 1960s, but that total decreased to about 375,000 by the mid-1990s. In 2007, they constituted about 2% of all laboratory animals. Guinea pigs played a major role in the establishment of 1747:—to consider their own learning and then make decisions based on what they know, or do not know, as indicated by choices they make apparently trading off difficulty of tasks and expected rewards, making them the first animals other than primates known to have this capacity, but these findings are disputed, since the rats may have been following simple 1130:. Beavers feed on the leaves, buds, and inner bark of growing trees, as well as aquatic plants. They store food for winter use by felling small trees and leafy branches in the autumn and immersing them in their pond, sticking the ends into the mud to anchor them. Here, they can access their food supply underwater even when their pond is frozen over. 793:, and the fur on the tails can vary from bushy to completely bald. The tail is sometimes used for communication, as when beavers slap their tails on the water surface or house mice rattle their tails to indicate alarm. Some species have vestigial tails or no tails at all. In some species, the tail is capable of regeneration if a part is broken off. 1640:(mostly furred, eyes open and fairly developed) depending on the species. The altricial state is typical for squirrels and mice, while the precocial state usually occurs in species like guinea pigs and porcupines. Females with altricial young typically build elaborate nests before they give birth and maintain them until their offspring are 1644:. The female gives birth sitting or lying down and the young emerge in the direction she is facing. The newborns first venture out of the nest a few days after they have opened their eyes and initially keep returning regularly. As they get older and more developed, they visit the nest less often and leave permanently when weaned. 4754:

While rodents are not the most seriously threatened order of mammals, there are 168 species in 126 genera that are said to warrant conservation attention in the face of limited appreciation by the public. Since 76 percent of rodent genera contain only one species, much phylogenetic diversity could be

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Mother rodents provide both direct parental care, such as nursing, grooming, retrieving and huddling, and indirect parenting, such as food caching, nest building and protection to their offspring. In many social species, young may be cared for by individuals other than their parents, a practice known

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In precocial species, the mothers invest little in nest building and some do not build nests at all. The female gives birth standing and the young emerge behind her. Mothers of these species maintain contact with their highly mobile young with maternal contact calls. Though relatively independent and

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and beavers. In these species, males usually mate only with their partners. In addition to increased care for young, obligate monogamy can also be beneficial to the adult male as it decreases the chances of never finding a mate or mating with an infertile female. In facultative monogamy, the males do

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or related individuals to take evasive action. Several species, for example prairie dogs, have complex anti-predator alarm call systems. These species may have different calls for different predators (e.g. aerial predators or ground-based predators) and each call contains information about the nature

718:, such as the guinea pig, have larger superficial masseter muscles and smaller deep masseter muscles than rats or squirrels, possibly making them less efficient at biting with the incisors, but their enlarged internal pterygoid muscles may allow them to move the jaw further sideways when chewing. The 4893:

has a soft and silky coat and the demand for its fur was so high that it was nearly wiped out in the wild before farming took over as the main source of pelts. The quills and guardhairs of porcupines are used for traditional decorative clothing. For example, their guardhairs are used in the creation

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Rodents use scent marking in many social contexts including inter- and intra-species communication, the marking of trails and the establishment of territories. Their urine provides genetic information about individuals including the species, the sex and individual identity, and metabolic information

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Although rodents have been regarded traditionally as herbivores, most small rodents opportunistically include insects, worms, fungi, fish, or meat in their diets and a few have become specialized to rely on a diet of animal matter. A functional-morphological study of the rodent tooth system supports

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In many species, the molars are relatively large, intricately structured, and highly cusped or ridged. Rodent molars are well equipped to grind food into small particles. The jaw musculature is strong. The lower jaw is thrust forward while gnawing and is pulled backwards during chewing. Gnawing uses

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are able to control rodents effectively, provided the rodent population is not too large. In the UK, two species in particular, the house mouse and the brown rat, are actively controlled to limit damage in growing crops, loss and contamination of stored crops and structural damage to facilities, as

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attempts to improve control with a combination of surveys to determine the size and distribution of the pest population, the establishment of tolerance limits (levels of pest activity at which to intervene), interventions, and evaluation of effectiveness based on repeated surveys. Interventions may

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among rodents caused by the fact that they have tended to evolve to fill largely similar niches. This parallel evolution includes not only the structure of the teeth, but also the infraorbital region of the skull (below the eye socket) and makes classification difficult as similar traits may not be

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Rodents including guinea pigs, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, degus and chipmunks make convenient pets able to live in small spaces, each species with its own qualities. Most are normally kept in cages of suitable sizes and have varied requirements for space and social interaction. If

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for purely scientific purposes. Nowadays, the house mouse is the most commonly used laboratory rodent, and in 1979 it was estimated that fifty million were used annually worldwide. They are favored because of their small size, fertility, short gestation period and ease of handling and because they

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At least 89 species of rodent, mostly Hystricomorpha such as guinea pigs, agoutis and capybaras, are eaten by humans; in 1985, there were at least 42 different societies in which people eat rats. Guinea pigs were first raised for food around 2500 B.C. and by 1500 B.C. had become the main source of

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Many rodent species, particularly those that are diurnal and social, have a wide range of alarm calls that are emitted when they perceive threats. There are both direct and indirect benefits of doing this. A potential predator may stop when it knows it has been detected, or an alarm call can allow

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cues from urine, feces and glandular secretions. The main assessment may involve the MHC, where the degree of relatedness of two individuals is correlated to the MHC genes they have in common. In non-kin communication, where more permanent odor markers are required, as at territorial borders, then

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fruit. Too many seeds are inside to be consumed in one meal, so the agouti carries some off and caches them. This helps dispersal of the seeds as any that the agouti fails to retrieve are distant from the parent tree when they germinate. Other nut-bearing trees tend to bear a glut of fruits in the

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and may be practiced by adult conspecifics of either sex. Several reasons have been proposed for this behavior, including nutritional stress, resource competition, avoiding misdirecting parental care and, in the case of males, attempting to make the mother sexually receptive. The latter reason is

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forms large towns that may cover many hectares. The burrows do not interconnect, but are excavated and occupied by territorial family groups known as coteries. A coterie often consists of an adult male, three or four adult females, several nonbreeding yearlings, and the current year's offspring.

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and forms a lifelong pair bond. Outside the breeding season, prairie voles live with others in small colonies. A male is not aggressive towards other males until he has mated, after which time he defends a territory, a female, and a nest against other males. The pair huddles together, grooms one

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species, males will try to monopolize and mate with multiple females. As with monogamy, polygyny in rodents can come in two forms; defense and non-defense. Defense polygyny involves males controlling territories that contain resources that attract females. This occurs in ground squirrels like

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The urine of many rodents (e.g. voles, degus, mice, rats) strongly reflects UV light and this may be used in communication by leaving visible as well as olfactory markings. However, the amount of UV that is reflected decreases with time, which in some circumstances can be disadvantageous; the

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Most rodents are small animals with robust bodies, short limbs, and long tails. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw food, excavate burrows, and defend themselves. Most eat seeds or other plant material, but some have more varied diets. They tend to be social animals and many species live in

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Footdrumming is used widely as a predator warning or defensive action. It is used primarily by fossorial or semi-fossorial rodents. The banner-tailed kangaroo rat produces several complex footdrumming patterns in a number of different contexts, one of which is when it encounters a snake. The

2068:(order Lagomorpha) have continuously growing incisors, as do rodents, and were at one time included in the order. However, they have an additional pair of incisors in the upper jaw and the two orders have quite separate evolutionary histories. The phylogeny of the rodents places them in the 1847:

and never fully recovered, unlike their North American and European relatives. In the resulting ecological vacuum, rodents and other Glires were able to evolve and diversify, taking the niches left by extinct multituberculates. The correlation between the spread of rodents and the demise of

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rodents bang their head against the walls of their tunnels. This behavior was initially interpreted as part of their tunnel building behavior, but it was eventually realized that they generate temporally patterned seismic signals for long-distance communication with neighboring mole rats.

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autumn. These are too numerous to be eaten in one meal and squirrels gather and store the surplus in crevices and hollow trees. In desert regions, seeds are often available only for short periods. The kangaroo rat collects all it can find and stores them in larder chambers in its burrow.

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and masseter muscles, making them able to chew powerfully with their molars. In rodents, masseter muscles insert behind the eyes and contribute to eye boggling that occurs during gnawing where the quick contraction and relaxation of the muscle causes the eyeballs to move up and down. The

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muscle plays a key role in chewing, making up 60% – 80% of the total muscle mass among masticatory muscles and reflects rodents' herbivorous diet. Rodent groups differ in the arrangement of the jaw muscles and associated skull structures, both from other mammals and amongst themselves.

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based on female kinship, with males dispersing after weaning and becoming nomadic as adults. Cooperation in ground squirrels varies between species and typically includes making alarm calls, defending territories, sharing food, protecting nesting areas, and preventing infanticide. The

823:. Whisker action is mostly driven by the brain stem, which is itself provoked by the cortex. However Legg et al. 1989 find an alternate circuit between the cortex and whiskers through the cerebellar circuits, and Hemelt & Keller 2008 the superior colliculus. Some rodents have 2017:

preceded formation of the land bridge by at least several million years, probably occurring via rafting. Sigmodontines diversified explosively once in South America, although some degree of diversification may have already occurred in Central America before the colonization.

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lost with a comparatively small number of extinctions. In the absence of more detailed knowledge of species at risk and accurate taxonomy, conservation must be based mainly on higher taxa (such as families rather than species) and geographical hot spots. Several species of

843:, eating its own fecal pellets, so the nutrients can be absorbed by the gut. Rodents therefore often produce a hard and dry fecal pellet. Horn et al. 2013 makes the finding that rodents entirely lack the ability to vomit. In many species, the penis contains a bone, the 1990:. The earliest fossil rodents in Australia have a maximum age of 4.5 million years, and molecular data is consistent with the colonization of New Guinea from the west during the late Miocene or early Pliocene followed by rapid diversification. A further wave of 1373: 1372: 1369: 1672:. This is known to occur in black-tailed prairie dogs and Belding's ground squirrels, where mothers have communal nests and nurse unrelated young along with their own. There is some question as to whether these mothers can distinguish which young are theirs. In the 1363:

House mice use both audible and ultrasonic calls in a variety of contexts. Audible vocalizations can often be heard during agonistic or aggressive encounters, whereas ultrasound is used in sexual communication and also by pups when they have fallen out of the nest.

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Female rodents play an active role in choosing their mates. Factors that contribute to female preference may include the size, dominance and spatial ability of the male. In the eusocial naked mole rats, a single female monopolizes mating from at least three males.

1374: 726:, hamsters, chipmunks and gophers which have two bags that may range from the mouth to the front of the shoulders. True mice and rats do not contain this structure but their cheeks are elastic due to a high degree of musculature and innervation in the region. 745:, walking on both the palms and soles of their feet, and have claw-like nails. The nails of burrowing species tend to be long and strong, while arboreal rodents have shorter, sharper nails. Rodent species use a wide variety of methods of locomotion including 11536:

Stenseth, Nils Chr; Leirs, Herwig; Skonhoft, Anders; Davis, Stephen A.; Pech, Roger P.; Andreassen, Harry P.; Singleton, Grant R.; Lima, Mauricio; Machang'u, Robert S.; Makundi, Rhodes H.; Zhang, Zhibin; Brown, Peter R.; Shi, Dazhao; Wan, Xinrong (2003).

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on the Caribbean coast, so these species are considered vulnerable. The IUCN Species Survival Commission writes "We can safely conclude that many South American rodents are seriously threatened, mainly by environmental disturbance and intensive hunting".

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not provide direct parental care and stay with one female because they cannot access others due to being spatially dispersed. Prairie voles appear to be an example of this form of monogamy, with males guarding and defending females within their vicinity.

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from dry regions of North America feeds on insects, scorpions, and other small mice, and only a small part of its diet is plant material. It has a chunky body with short legs and tail, but is agile and can easily overpower prey as large as itself.

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Pérez, Francisco; Castillo-Guevara, Citlalli; Galindo-Flores, Gema; Cuautle, Mariana; Estrada-Torres, Arturo (2012). "Effect of gut passage by two highland rodents on spore activity and mycorrhiza formation of two species of ectomycorrhizal fungi

5066:. Rats have been studied for possible use in hazardous situations such as in disaster zones. They can be trained to respond to commands, which may be given remotely, and even persuaded to venture into brightly lit areas, which rats usually avoid. 1197:

live in extended family units typically with a pair of adults, this year's kits, the previous year's offspring, and sometimes older young. Brown rats usually live in small colonies with up to six females sharing a burrow and one male defending a

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Parada, A.; Pardiñas, U. F. J.; Salazar-Bravo, J.; D’Elía, G.; Palma, R. E. (March 2013). "Dating an impressive Neotropical radiation: Molecular time estimates for the Sigmodontinae (Rodentia) provide insights into its historical biogeography".

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of New World rodents but did not include the more problematic Old World species. Further attempts at classification continued without agreement, with some authors adopting the classical three suborder system and others Tullborg's two suborders.

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of an individual's own offspring. To protect against infanticide from other adults, female rodents may employ avoidance or direct aggression against potential perpetrators, multiple mating, territoriality or early termination of pregnancy.

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forages on the surface, gathering anything that might be edible into its capacious cheek pouches until its face bulges out sideways. It then returns to its burrow to sort through the material it has gathered and eats the nutritious items.

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role. When building their dams and lodges, beavers alter the paths of streams and rivers and allow for the creation of extensive wetland habitats. One study found that engineering by beavers leads to a 33 percent increase in the number of

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Rowe, K. C.; Reno, M. L.; Richmond, D. M.; Adkins, R. M.; Steppan, S. J. (2008). "Pliocene colonization and adaptive radiations in Australia and New Guinea (Sahul): multilocus systematics of the old endemic rodents (Muroidea: Murinae)".

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Rodents: A World Survey of Species of Conservation Concern: Based on the Proceedings of a Workshop of the IUCN/SSC Rodent Specialist Group, Held at the Fourth International Theriological Congress, August 17, 1985, Edmonton, Alberta,

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abilities. They can quickly learn to avoid poisoned baits, which makes them difficult pests to deal with. Guinea pigs can learn and remember complex pathways to food. Squirrels and kangaroo rats are able to locate caches of food by

1356:, another social, burrowing rodent, exhibits a wide array of communication methods and has an elaborate vocal repertoire comprising fifteen different categories of sound. Ultrasonic calls play a part in social communication between 827:, which may be lined with fur. These can be turned inside out for cleaning. In many species, the tongue cannot reach past the incisors. Rodents have efficient digestive systems, absorbing nearly 80% of ingested energy. When eating 10743: 10538: 463:/ricochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include 1409:

Rodents, like all placental mammals except primates, have just two types of light receptive cones in their retina, a short wavelength "blue-UV" type and a middle wavelength "green" type. They are therefore classified as

1554:, in which both males and females mate with multiple partners, also occurs in rodents. In species such as the white-footed mouse, females give birth to litters with multiple paternities. Promiscuity leads to increased 4883:

developed and became of prime importance to early settlers. In Europe, the soft underfur known as "beaver wool" was found to be ideal for felting and was made into beaver hats and trimming for clothing. Later, the

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weaned within days, precocial young may continue to nurse and be groomed by their mothers. Rodent litter sizes also vary and females with smaller litters spend more time in the nest than those with larger litters.

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took over as a cheaper source of fur for felting and was farmed extensively in America and Europe; however, fashions changed, new materials became available and this area of the animal fur industry declined. The

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footdrumming may alert nearby offspring but most likely conveys that the rat is too alert for a successful attack, thus preventing the snake's predatory pursuit. Several studies have indicated intentional use of

1820:, a clade consisting of rodents and lagomorphs (rabbits, hares and pikas), from other placental mammals occurred within a few million years after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary; rodents and lagomorphs then 10776: 9224: 1581:

in the female's genital opening, both to prevent sperm leakage and to protect against other males inseminating the female. Females can remove the plug and may do so either immediately or after several hours.

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investigate and become familiar with the scents of their neighbors and respond less aggressively to intrusions by them than to those made by non-territorial "floaters" or strangers. This is known as the

1475:. Footdrumming has been reported to be involved in male-male competition; the dominant male indicates its resource holding potential by drumming, thus minimizing physical contact with potential rivals. 1077:

is a typical herbivorous rodent and feeds on grasses, herbs, root tubers, moss, and other vegetation, and gnaws on bark during the winter. It occasionally eats invertebrates such as insect larvae. The

943:, and mole rats, live almost completely underground, where they build complex burrow systems. Others dwell on the surface of the ground, but may have a burrow into which they can retreat. Beavers and 685:

incisors and chewing uses molars, however, due to the cranial anatomy of rodents these feeding methods cannot be used at the same time and are considered to be mutually exclusive. Among rodents, the

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lost to mice and rats in Asia was estimated to be enough to feed 200 million people. Most of the damage worldwide is caused by a relatively small number of species, chiefly rats and mice. In

1495:. Monogamy can come in two forms; obligate and facultative. In obligate monogamy, both parents care for the offspring and play an important part in their survival. This occurs in species such as 4879:

provides extra insulation. The native people of North America made much use of beaver pelts, tanning and sewing them together to make robes. Europeans appreciated the quality of these and the

507:, which also have incisors that grow continuously (but have two pairs of upper incisors instead of one), were once included with rodents, but are now considered to be in a separate order, the 9972: 7717:

Vanden Hole, Charlotte; Van Daele, Paul A. A. G.; Desmet, Niels; Devos, Paul & Adriaens, Dominique (2014). "Does sociality imply a complex vocal communication system? A case study for

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Horn, Charles C.; Kimball, Bruce A.; Wang, Hong; Kaus, James; Dienel, Samuel; Nagy, Allysa; Gathright, Gordon R.; Yates, Bill J.; Andrews, Paul L. R. (10 April 2013). Covasa, Mihai (ed.).

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Asher1, Robert J.; Meng, Jin; Wible, John R.; McKenna, Malcolm C.; Rougier, Guillermo W.; Dashzeveg, Demberlyn; Novacek, Michael J. (2005). "Stem Lagomorpha and the Antiquity of Glires".

889:, females are typically larger than males, but male-bias sexual dimorphism occurs in alpine populations, possibly because of the lack of predators and greater competition between males. 11888: 10593: 1414:; however, they are visually sensitive into the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum and therefore can see light that humans can not. The functions of this UV sensitivity are not always clear. In 1370: 908:

One of the most widespread groups of mammals, rodents can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are the only terrestrial placental mammals to have colonized Australia and

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and nutrient redistribution, raising the organic content of the soil and increasing the absorption of water. They maintain these grassland habitats, and some large herbivores such as

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Marivaux, Laurent; Essid, El Mabrouk; Marzougui, Wissem; Ammar, Hayet Khayati; Adnet, Sylvain; Marandat, Bernard; Merzeraud, Gilles; Tabuce, Rodolphe; Vianey-Liaud, Monique (2014).

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Schenk, John J.; Rowe, Kevin C.; Steppan, Scott J. (2013). "Ecological opportunity and incumbency in the diversification of repeated continental colonizations by muroid rodents".

1704:, dominant females tend to suppress the reproduction of subordinates by being antagonistic towards them while they are pregnant. The resulting stress causes the fetuses to abort. 1691:

but less so in rodents. Infanticide appears to be widespread in black-tailed prairie dogs, including infanticide from invading males and immigrant females, as well as occasional

1562:, the male's testes can be 20 percent of its head-body length. Several rodent species have flexible mating systems that can vary between monogamy, polygyny and promiscuity. 1604:. Thyroid hormones in turn induce reproductive changes. This is found by Watanabe et al. 2004 and 2007, Barrett et al. 2007, Freeman et al. 2007, and Herwig et al. 2009 in 6728:

Kemp, P. S.; Worthington, T. A.; Langford, T. E. l.; Tree, A. R. J.; Gaywood, M. J. (2012). "Qualitative and quantitative effects of reintroduced beavers on stream fish".

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Desjardins, C.; Maruniak, J. A.; Bronson, F. H. (1973). "Social rank in house mice: Differentiation revealed by ultraviolet visualization of urinary marking patterns".

1186:. Adult dormice may have overlapping feeding ranges, but they live in individual nests and feed separately, coming together briefly in the breeding season to mate. The 5133:, rodents reduce crop yields by around fifteen percent, while in some instances in South America losses have reached ninety percent. Across Africa, rodents including 451:

Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be

10766: 9176: 5333:, human societies often attempt to control them. Traditionally, this involved poisoning and trapping, methods that were not always safe or effective. More recently, 9367: 1450:

Vibrations can provide cues to conspecifics about specific behaviors being performed, predator warning and avoidance, herd or group maintenance, and courtship. The

1389:) emit short, high frequency, ultrasonic vocalizations during purportedly pleasurable experiences such as rough-and-tumble play, when anticipating routine doses of 1092:

avoids emerging onto the surface to feed by seizing the roots of plants with its jaws and pulling them downwards into its burrow. It also practices coprophagy. The

2080:. The cladogram below shows the inner and outer relations of Rodentia based on a 2012 attempt by Wu et al. to align the molecular clock with paleontological data: 10043:

Smith, Margaret F.; Patton, James L. (1999). "Phylogenetic relationships and the radiation of Sigmodontine rodents in South America: evidence from cytochrome b".

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House mice deposit urine, which contains pheromones, for territorial marking, individual and group recognition, and social organization. Territorial beavers and

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occurs in many rodent species. In some rodents, males are larger than females, while in others the reverse is true. Male-bias sexual dimorphism is typical for

10930: 5815: 3887: 11376:

Xu, S.; Talwar, S. K.; Hawley, E. S.; Li, L.; Chapin, J. K. (2004). "A multi-channel telemetry system for brain microstimulation in freely roaming animals".

10716: 8137: 4901:

headdress. The main quills may be dyed, and then applied in combination with thread to embellish leather accessories such as knife sheaths and leather bags.

6656: 5062:

bacilli with a sensitivity of up to 86.6%, and specificity (detecting the absence of the bacilli) of over 93%; the same species has been trained to detect

1896:

invaded Africa, most probably having originated in Asia at least 39.5 million years ago. From Africa, fossil evidence shows that some hystricognaths (

6794: 1908:. Caviomorphs had arrived in South America by 41 million years ago (implying a date at least as early as this for hystricognaths in Africa), and had 12985: 9861: 7624: 6771: 1892:, rodents began to diversify. Beavers appeared in Eurasia in the late Eocene before spreading to North America in the late Miocene. Late in the Eocene, 11315: 1871:) may have involved up to seven colonizations of Africa, five of North America, four of Southeast Asia, two of South America and up to ten of Eurasia. 8423:

Holmes, Warren G.; Mateo, Jill M. (2008). "Chapter 19: Kin Recognition in Rodents: Issues and Evidence". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

7819:

Ancillotto, Leonardo; Sozio, Giulia; Mortelliti, Alessio; Russo, Danilo (2014). "Ultrasonic communication in Gliridae (Rodentia): the hazel dormouse (

3173: 13221: 11346: 13491: 13216: 13211: 13113: 13087: 13069: 9161: 8662: 2010: 10888: 9576: 6414: 13226: 13206: 8605: 8571:"The associative processes of the guinea pig: A study of the psychical development of an animal with a nervous system well medullated at birth" 5904: 4141:

have provisionally adopted a five suborder system: Sciuromorpha, Castorimorpha, Myomorpha, Anomaluromorpha, and Hystricomorpha. As of 2021 the

11885: 11423: 10597: 8831: 13543: 13231: 12911: 11234: 9248:"Local molecular clocks in three nuclear genes: divergence times for rodents and other mammals and incompatibility among fossil calibrations" 8311:

Soloman, Nancy G.; Keane, Brain (2008). "Chapter 4: Reproductive Strategies in Female Rodents". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

7056: 5783: 1901: 1021:

with the roots of plants (which usually cannot thrive without them). As such, these rodents may play a role in maintaining healthy forests.

13643: 13241: 13196: 12975: 11677: 9633:

Vélez-Juarbe, Jorge; Martin, Thomas; Macphee, Ross D. E. (2014). "The earliest Caribbean rodents: Oligocene caviomorphs from Puerto Rico".

8081:

Viitala, J.; Korpimäki, E.; Palokangas, P.; Koivula, M. (1995). "Attraction of kestrels to vole scent marks visible in ultraviolet light".

7268: 11292: 13638: 13097: 11801: 8451:

Ebensperger, Luis A.; Blumsperger, Daniel T. (2008). "Chapter 23: Nonparental Infanticide". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

8229:

Narins, P. M.; Reichman, O. J.; Jarvis, J. U. M.; Lewis, E. R. (1992). "Seismic signal transmission between burrows of the Cape mole-rat

10207: 5502: 1348:

Social rodents have a wider range of vocalizations than do solitary species. Fifteen different call-types have been recognized in adult

1923: 9989:

Marshall, L. G.; Butler, R. F.; Drake, R. E.; Curtis, G. H.; Tedford, R. H. (1979). "Calibration of the Great American Interchange".

7034: 3263: 1844: 1149:

or Australian water-rat, which devours aquatic insects, fish, crustaceans, mussels, snails, frogs, birds' eggs, and water birds. The

11625: 11208:

Sherwin, C. M. (2010). "25: The Husbandry and Welfare of Non-traditional Laboratory Rodents". In Hubrecht, R.; Kirkwood, J. (eds.).

1190:

is also a solitary animal outside the breeding season, each individual digging a complex tunnel system and maintaining a territory.

1009:, increased seed depredation, and the establishment and spread of invasive shrubs. Burrowing rodents may eat the fruiting bodies of 152: 13465: 11449: 10866: 7690:"8: Toward the evolutionary roots of affective prosody in human acoustic communication: A comparative approach to mammalian voices" 5395: 5360:

has the drawback that they can infect man and domestic animals, and rodents often become resistant. The use of predators including

1947:, which grew to a length of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and weight of 100 kg (220 lb). The largest known rodent was 4759:

have become extinct since the 19th century, probably through habitat loss and the introduction of alien species. In Colombia, the

13504: 10461: 9770: 5183:

cause damage to orchards, vegetables and pasture as well as cereals. In South America, a wider range of rodent species, such as

1736:

to further our understanding of biology, a great deal has come to be known about their cognitive capacities. Brown rats exhibit

11703: 5937: 11735: 10984: 10953: 10229:

Wu, Shaoyuan; Wu, Wenyu; Zhang, Fuchun; Ye, Jie; Ni, Xijun; Sun, Jimin; Edwards, Scott V.; Meng, Jin; Organ, Chris L. (2012).

6314:

Schulte-Hostedde, A. I. (2008). "Chapter 10: Sexual Size Dimorphism in Rodents". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

1976:. There are about fifty species of 'old endemics', the first wave of rodents to colonize the country in the Miocene and early 1755:

model. Brown rats use social learning in a wide range of situations, but perhaps especially so in acquiring food preferences.

1081:

eats plant material found underground during tunneling, and also collects grasses, roots, and tubers in its cheek pouches and

13522: 11859: 11840: 11482: 11261: 11161: 11136: 11111: 11083: 11050: 11025: 10843: 10577: 10433: 10176: 10084: 9855: 9480: 8460: 8432: 8407: 8320: 8292: 7701: 7460: 7345: 7220: 7156: 6940: 6913: 6323: 5579: 5552: 5470: 448:, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. 13509: 6946: 5745:"Reviewing the Morphology of the Jaw-Closing Musculature in Squirrels, Rats, and Guinea Pigs with Contrast-Enhanced MicroCT" 5669: 11928: 3339: 2404: 1126:

do this, and may be 50% heavier in the autumn than in the spring. They rely on their fat reserves during their long winter

978:

Though some species are common pests for humans, rodents also play important ecological roles. Some rodents are considered

7919:

Haverkamp, Silke; Waessle, Heinz; Duebel, Jens; Kuner, Thomas; Augustine, George J.; Feng, Guoping; Euler, Thomas (2005).

5595:

Cox, Philip G.; Rayfield, Emily J.; Fagan, Michael J.; Herrel, Anthony; Pataky, Todd C.; Jeffery, Nathan (27 April 2012).

9598:

Gheerbrant, Emmanuel; Rage, Jean-Claude (2006). "Paleobiogeography of Africa: How distinct from Gondwana and Laurasia?".

9373: 8338: 7977: 7480: 5054:

Rodents have sensitive olfactory abilities, which have been used by humans to detect odors or chemicals of interest. The

1929:

By 20 million years ago, fossils recognizably belonging to the current families such as Muridae had emerged. By the

9730: 9001: 6877: 1851:

The history of the colonization of the world's continents by rodents is complex. The movements of the large superfamily

4895: 9890: 8008: 4807:(1962). Conservation projects can with careful planning completely eradicate these pest rodents from islands using an 1426:

can distinguish between old and fresh rodent trails and has greater success hunting over more recently marked routes.

1193:

Larger rodents tend to live in family units where parents and their offspring live together until the young disperse.

785:

and having hoof-like nails. The majority of rodents have tails, which can be of many shapes and sizes. Some tails are

12904: 12426: 11956: 10807: 10650: 9305:"Phylogenetic analyses of complete mitochondrial genome sequences suggest a basal divergence of the enigmatic rodent 8398:

McGuire, Betty; Bernis, William E. (2008). "Chapter 20: Parental Care". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

7245: 6606:"The river discontinuum: applying beaver modifications to baseline conditions for restoration of forested headwaters" 6509:

Krueger, Kirsten (1986). "Feeding relationships among bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs: an experimental analysis".

912:

without human intervention. Humans have also allowed the animals to spread to many remote oceanic islands (e.g., the

427: 8570: 8283:

Waterman, Jane (2008). "Chapter 3: Male Mating Strategies in Rodents". In Wolff, Jerry O.; Sherman, Paul W. (eds.).

5338:

include education, making and applying laws and regulations, modifying the habitat, changing farming practices, and

1922:

rodents are thought to have rafted from Africa to Madagascar 20–24 million years ago. All 27 species of native

13605: 13444: 11581:

Meerburg, B. G.; Singleton, G. R.; Kijlstra, A. (2009). "Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health".

11186: 10922: 10708: 6605: 5809: 4843: 4142: 2239: 1909: 1273: 10146: 8336:

Nakane, Yusuke; Yoshimura, Takashi (15 February 2019). "Photoperiodic Regulation of Reproduction in Vertebrates".

8129: 6444:"Prairie dog decline reduces the supply of ecosystem services and leads to desertification of semiarid grasslands" 1122:

A strategy for dealing with seasonal plenty is to eat as much as possible and store the surplus nutrients as fat.

13548: 13457: 9729:

Vekua, A.; Bendukidze, O.; Bukhsianidze, M.; Vanishvili, N.; Augusti, J.; Martinez-Navarro, B.; Rook, L. (2010).

9369:

The Extinction of the Multituberculates Outside North America: a Global Approach to Testing the Competition Model

5283: 4208: 1676:, young are also placed in communal warrens, but mothers do not permit youngsters other than their own to nurse. 1529: 1202:

around the burrow. At high population densities, this system breaks down and males show a hierarchical system of

722:

is a specific morphological feature used for storing food and is evident in particular subgroups of rodents like

9041: 9024: 3153: 2839: 2510: 2321: 10501: 6818: 5544: 188: 9842: 9676:

Ali, J. R.; Huber, M. (20 January 2010). "Mammalian biodiversity on Madagascar controlled by ocean currents".

8527:

Hackländera, Klaus; Möstlb, Erich; Arnold, Walter (2003). "Reproductive suppression in female Alpine marmots,

6339:

Helgen, Kristofer M. (2005). "The amphibious murines of New Guinea (Rodentia, Muridae): the generic status of

4137:

of the group and that the clade has descended from a common Paleocene ancestor. Carleton and Musser (2005) in

3359: 13530: 7663: 7398:

Arakawa, Hiroyuki; Blanchard, D. Caroline; Arakawa, Keiko; Dunlap, Christopher; Blanchard, Robert J. (2008).

6763: 5970: 4984:

are susceptible to many of the conditions and infections that afflict humans. They are used in research into

1393:, during mating, and when tickled. The vocalization, described as a distinct "chirping", has been likened to 1211: 881:, males may have selected larger females due to their greater reproductive success. In some species, such as 532: 11323: 13253: 12897: 5307: 1973: 1965: 1533: 1267:

Nepotistic species such as house mice rely on urine, feces and glandular secretions to recognize their kin.

665:

The distinguishing feature of the rodents is their pairs of continuously growing, razor-sharp, open-rooted

1345:

of the precise threat. The urgency of the threat is also conveyed by the acoustic properties of the call.

13517: 13387: 13374: 11354: 10172: 7866:

Panksepp, Jaak; Burgdorf, Jeff (2003). ""Laughing" rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy?".

5386: 4760: 4118: 1574: 1037:. Another study found that beavers increase wild salmon populations. Meanwhile, some rodents are seen as 7586:

Shelley, Erin L.; Blumstein, Daniel T. (2005). "The evolution of vocal alarm communication in rodents".

7397: 6088:

Kapoor, Harit; Lohani, Kush Raj; Lee, Tommy H.; Agrawal, Devendra K.; Mittal, Sumeet K. (27 July 2015).

4819:

in the United Kingdom, where the eradication of an estimated 40,000 brown rats is giving populations of

2013:

such as the New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) headed north. However, the main southward invasion of

13264: 11498:

Meerburg, B. G.; Singleton, G. R; Leirs, H. (2009). "The Year of the Rat ends: time to fight hunger!".

9542: 9432:"The evolution of fossoriality and the adaptive role of horns in the Mylagaulidae (Mammalia: Rodentia)" 8347: 6442:

Janke, Axel; Martínez-Estévez, Lourdes; Balvanera, Patricia; Pacheco, Jesús; Ceballos, Gerardo (2013).

5979: 5334: 1998: 1521: 1451: 1082: 13597: 13392: 8476:

Hoogland, J. L. (1985). "Infanticide in prairie dogs: Lactating females kill offspring of close kin".

7716: 1276:(MHC) are bound to several urinary proteins. The odor of a predator depresses scent-marking behavior. 42: 13610: 13558: 10892: 9544: 7502:

Bjorkoyli, Tore; Rosell, Frank (2002). "A test of the dear enemy phenomenon in the Eurasian beaver".

7091:

Jarvis, Jennifer (1981). "Eusociality in a mammal: Cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies".

6383: 1941:. Some fossil species were very large in comparison to modern rodents and included the giant beaver, 1525: 235: 38: 7880: 7694:

The Evolution of Emotional Communication: From Sounds in Nonhuman Mammals to Speech and Music in Man

7600: 5871: 5013: 4779:

and the house mouse) have been dispersed in association with humans, partly on sailing ships in the

11419: 8827: 4880: 4202: 4188: 2809: 1235: 1069:, feeding exclusively on plant material such as seeds, stems, leaves, flowers, and roots. Some are 444:. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for 11226: 8693: 7267:

Winslow, James T.; Hastings, Nick; Carter, C. Sue; Harbaugh, Carroll R.; Insel, Thomas R. (1993).

5744: 7818: 7266: 5035:

of 9 March 1961, with a successful recovery. The naked mole rat is the only known mammal that is

4768: 4623: 4174: 4130: 3963: 2480: 1949: 1795: 1597: 803:

with its long whiskers. Chinchillas are also known for having the densest fur of any land mammal.

531:

societies with complex ways of communicating with each other. Mating among rodents can vary from

17: 11915: 11535: 11284: 8636: 7315: 3663: 2591: 2351: 13584: 13314: 7875: 7595: 6143: 5291: 5005: 4909:

by throwing a blanket over a porcupine and retrieving the quills it left stuck in the blanket.

4145:

recognizes 34 recent families containing more than 481 genera and 2277 species.

1960:

The first rodents arrived in Australia via Indonesia around 5 million years ago. Although

1884:, a burrowing mammal of the late Miocene to early Pleistocene, is the only known horned rodent. 1821: 1816:, the supercontinent composed of modern-day North America, Europe, and Asia. The divergence of 1787: 1679: 1293: 790: 11041:

Krinke, George J.; Bullock, Gillian R.; Bunton, Tracie (2000). "History, strains and models".

7689: 7448: 7333: 7208: 6090:"Animal Models of Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma-Past, Present, and Future" 1206:

with overlapping ranges. Female offspring remain in the colony while male young disperse. The

1002:

prefer to graze near prairie dog colonies due to the increased nutritional quality of forage.

947:

are known for being semiaquatic, but the rodent best adapted for aquatic life is probably the

13579: 12419: 11949: 11868:

Carleton, M. D.; Musser, G. G. "Order Rodentia", pages 745–752 in Wilson & Reeder (2005).

11067: 10421: 10199: 9155: 6727: 6202: 5569: 5498: 5153: 4989: 4804: 3190: 2031: 1880: 1692: 1517: 1455: 1443: 1150: 967: 698: 302: 204: 13571: 13496: 11015: 10833: 3509: 2291: 1994:

occurred after one or more colonizations of Australia some 2 to 3 million years later.

897: 811:, hearing, and vision. Nocturnal species often have enlarged eyes and some are sensitive to 13413: 13361: 10682: 10301: 10242: 10093: 9998: 9922: 9687: 9642: 9607: 9549:(Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from the late middle Eocene of Djebel el Kébar, Central Tunisia" 9320: 9259: 9188: 9119: 9109: 9074: 8866: 8780: 8723: 8485: 8090: 8039: 7832: 7777: 7730: 7283: 7100: 6737: 6671: 6518: 6455: 6261: 6034: 5608: 5461:

Single, G.; Dickman, C. R.; MacDonald, D. W. (2001). "Rodents". In MacDonald, D. W. (ed.).

4113: 1836:, although other molecular divergence estimations are in agreement with the fossil record. 1752: 1748: 1669: 1559: 1328: 1203: 1078: 878: 633: 7022: 5145:

damage cereals, groundnuts, vegetables and cacao. In Asia, rats, mice and species such as

3290: 3232: 2381: 578:. Rodents reached both South America and Madagascar from Africa and, until the arrival of 8: 12889: 12803: 12750: 12349:(Rats, guinea pigs, squirrels, beavers, chinchillas, porcupines, capybaras and relatives) 11656: 8355: 5179: 5055: 4835: 4423: 4262: 3551: 1986:) species of 'new endemics', arriving in a subsequent wave in the late Pliocene or early 1904:, which was an isolated continent at the time, evidently making use of ocean currents to 1300:

transporters, may also be used. MUPs may also signal individual identity, with each male

1247: 1239:

Individuals within coteries are friendly with each other, but hostile towards outsiders.

1093: 1089: 932: 928: 820: 11445: 10862: 10686: 10305: 10246: 10097: 10002: 9926: 9691: 9646: 9611: 9324: 9263: 9192: 9123: 9078: 8870: 8784: 8727: 8489: 8228: 8094: 8043: 7836: 7781: 7734: 7287: 7104: 6741: 6675: 6522: 6459: 6038: 6021:"Why Can't Rodents Vomit? A Comparative Behavioral, Anatomical, and Physiological Study" 5988: 5965: 5612: 5121:, eating large quantities of food stored by humans. For example, in 2003, the amount of 4166: 990:

of North America, the burrowing activities of prairie dogs play important roles in soil

13352: 12644: 11778: 11761: 11648: 11606: 11560: 11401: 10402: 10367: 10324: 10289: 10265: 10230: 10060: 10022: 9818: 9793: 9711: 9658: 9568: 9507: 9456: 9431: 9343: 9304: 9303:

Horner, D. S.; Lefkimmiatis, K.; Reyes, A.; Gissi, C.; Saccone, C.; Pesole, G. (2007).

9285: 9211: 9143: 8936: 8911: 8887: 8854: 8803: 8768: 8749: 8685: 8628: 8548: 8509: 8375: 8258: 8106: 8063: 7945: 7920: 7901: 7848: 7801: 7746: 7655: 7568: 7529: 7424: 7399: 7307: 7189: 7116: 7004: 6988: 6695: 6625: 6542: 6486: 6443: 6406: 6291: 6256: 6232: 6197: 6173: 6138: 6114: 6089: 6065: 6020: 5896: 5775: 5725: 5639: 5596: 5537: 5339: 4780: 4336: 4152:

Reconstruction of the phylogenetic tree of Rodentia on the basis of their whole genomes

4109: 3936: 3087: 1991: 1551: 1512: 1504: 1491:

Some species of rodent are monogamous, with an adult male and female forming a lasting

1199: 1135: 1103:

species are one of the few animal groups that can break open the large capsules of the

983: 971: 614: 540: 536: 230: 8681: 8624: 7889: 7622: 6657:"An ecosystem engineer, the beaver, increases species richness at the landscape scale" 5317: 4795:

in 1918, over 40 percent of the terrestrial bird species of the island, including the

4746: 3788: 3482: 13566: 13400: 12628: 12317: 11855: 11836: 11783: 11699: 11652: 11610: 11598: 11515: 11478: 11393: 11157: 11132: 11107: 11079: 11046: 11021: 10839: 10573: 10429: 10329: 10270: 10119: 10014: 9988: 9938: 9851: 9823: 9728: 9703: 9662: 9511: 9461: 9412: 9348: 9277: 9216: 9135: 9092: 8941: 8892: 8808: 8741: 8501: 8456: 8428: 8403: 8367: 8359: 8316: 8288: 8250: 8055: 7950: 7893: 7793: 7697: 7647: 7456: 7429: 7341: 7299: 7216: 7152: 7124: 6996: 6936: 6909: 6810: 6749: 6687: 6586: 6534: 6491: 6473: 6364: 6319: 6296: 6278: 6237: 6219: 6178: 6160: 6119: 6070: 6052: 6001: 5993: 5767: 5717: 5644: 5626: 5575: 5548: 5466: 5247: 5229: 4898: 4859: 4796: 4662: 3856: 3768: 2002: 1905: 1832:

data suggest modern rodents (members of the order Rodentia) had appeared by the late

1555: 1468: 1439: 1317: 1006: 948: 850: 575: 12404: 10064: 9632: 9572: 9289: 9245: 9147: 8689: 8632: 8552: 8513: 8379: 8262: 8067: 7905: 7852: 7805: 7750: 7659: 7572: 7533: 7415: 7008: 6629: 6410: 5929: 5779: 5729: 4875:

Humanity has long used animal skins for clothing, as the leather is durable and the

3830: 1279:

Rodents are able to recognize close relatives by smell and this allows them to show

1170:

Rodents exhibit a wide range of types of social behavior ranging from the mammalian

13633: 13236: 12957: 12472: 12412: 12338: 12079: 12016: 11942: 11773: 11726: 11640: 11590: 11550: 11507: 11389: 11385: 11257: 10992: 10961: 10690: 10565: 10493: 10394: 10359: 10319: 10309: 10260: 10250: 10109: 10101: 10052: 10026: 10006: 9930: 9813: 9805: 9715: 9695: 9678: 9650: 9615: 9560: 9499: 9451: 9443: 9404: 9338: 9328: 9267: 9206: 9196: 9127: 9082: 9036: 8972: 8931: 8923: 8882: 8874: 8798: 8788: 8753: 8731: 8677: 8620: 8540: 8493: 8351: 8242: 8209: 8172: 8110: 8098: 8047: 7940: 7936: 7932: 7885: 7840: 7785: 7738: 7639: 7605: 7560: 7519: 7511: 7419: 7411: 7378: 7311: 7291: 7181: 7108: 6980: 6849: 6745: 6699: 6679: 6617: 6578: 6526: 6481: 6463: 6398: 6356: 6286: 6270: 6227: 6211: 6168: 6152: 6109: 6101: 6060: 6042: 5983: 5886: 5850: 5759: 5707: 5634: 5616: 5040: 5021: 4965: 4792: 4230: 4105: 2156: 2073: 1840: 1721: 1605: 1496: 1230: 1058: 1030: 979: 866: 618: 395: 11910: 10450: 10168: 9911: 9762: 8909: 8497: 7789: 3860: 2735: 2134: 13405: 13366: 13159: 13061: 13018: 12681: 12498: 12231: 12132: 12100: 11892: 11472: 11405: 10619: 10255: 10010: 9654: 9619: 9201: 8793: 8080: 8051: 7844: 7742: 7146: 6930: 6468: 6156: 6047: 5663: 5621: 5311: 5303: 5234: 5118: 5083: 4950: 4824: 4820: 4788: 4699: 4344: 4238: 4170: 3751: 3100: 2285: 2027: 1829: 1774: 1764: 1673: 1656: 1589: 1284: 1183: 1145:

of the Philippines, which feed on insects and soft-bodied invertebrates, and the

1038: 951:

from New Guinea. Rodents have also thrived in human-created environments such as

854: 766: 686: 613:, eating and spoiling food stored by humans and spreading diseases. Accidentally 610: 590: 544: 386: 319: 287: 13535: 13379: 10527:"A higher-taxon approach to rodent conservation priorities for the 21st century" 10231:"Molecular and paleontological evidence for a post-Cretaceous origin of rodents" 10105: 9934: 9175:

Suárez, Rodrigo; Fernández-Aburto, Pedro; Manger, Paul; Mpodozis, Jorge (2011).

4148: 1229:

Among the most social of rodents are the ground squirrels, which typically form

1162: 13452: 13439: 13302: 13290: 13278: 13171: 13154: 13129: 13102: 13079: 12867: 12718: 12277: 12223: 12124: 12108: 11924: 11644: 9302: 7172:

Vaughan, T. A. (1962). "Reproduction in the Plains Pocket Gopher in Colorado".

6274: 6215: 5369: 5299: 5295: 5271: 5239: 5167:, tubers, vegetables and nuts. In Europe, as well as rats and mice, species of 5036: 4976: 4972: 4831: 4775:

The "three now cosmopolitan commensal rodent pest species" (the brown rat, the

4438: 4429: 4385: 4362: 4330: 4318: 4216: 4101: 3406: 3286: 3136: 2271: 2097: 1737: 1733: 1726: 1612:, Yasuo et al. 2007 and Ross et al. 2011 in rats, and Ono et al. 2008 in mice. 1609: 1500: 1423: 1382: 1223: 1175: 970:

with its dam of gnawed tree trunks and the lake it has created, are considered

913: 746: 715: 649:. The act of chewing wears down the dentine, leaving a sharp, chisel-like edge. 594: 329: 73: 12328:(Pigs, camels, hippos, deer, buffalo, gazelles, giraffes, whales and dolphins) 11594: 10056: 9394: 9272: 9247: 9087: 9062: 8878: 7969: 7643: 7488: 6683: 6402: 5421: 5105: 3443: 3423: 3039: 2533: 1804:

rodents are recognized and the earliest record of such mammals comes from the

1732:

Because laboratory mice (house mice) and rats (brown rats) are widely used as

621:

and have caused the extinction of numerous species, such as island birds, the

13627: 13144: 13124: 13119: 13107: 13046: 13023: 12995: 12875: 12827: 12527: 12268: 12140: 11209: 10290:"A glimpse on the pattern of rodent diversification: a phylogenetic approach" 9745: 8993: 8912:"The comparative study of metacognition: Sharper paradigms, safer inferences" 8526: 8363: 8214: 8193: 7797: 6869: 6814: 6621: 6603: 6590: 6538: 6477: 6368: 6360: 6282: 6223: 6164: 6056: 5997: 5721: 5630: 5330: 5279: 5267: 5263: 5251: 5109:

Rodents cause significant losses to crops, such as these potatoes damaged by

5009: 4980: 4946: 4902: 4808: 4800: 4764: 4695: 4513: 4494: 4444: 4406: 4275: 4222: 4184: 4180: 3643: 3465: 3439: 3355: 3228: 3077: 2856: 2571: 2087: 2077: 2014: 1893: 1874: 1744: 1701: 1665: 1472: 1187: 1142: 1034: 924: 862: 824: 774: 324: 105: 11347:"Man's mission to build remote control systems for dogs, roaches and sharks" 10314: 9408: 9177:"Deterioration of the Gαo Vomeronasal Pathway in Sexually Dimorphic Mammals" 9131: 8977: 8960: 8177: 8160: 7609: 7269:"A role for central vasopressin in pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles" 7112: 5274:, which can infect humans. Rodents also help to transmit diseases including 5088: 363:

Combined range of all rodent species (not including introduced populations)

13337: 13285: 13191: 13003: 12980: 12967: 12859: 12575: 12482: 12285: 12215: 12116: 12071: 11602: 11580: 11519: 11397: 10829: 10771: 10497: 10333: 10274: 10123: 10018: 9942: 9886: 9827: 9809: 9707: 9465: 9447: 9416: 9352: 9333: 9281: 9220: 9139: 9096: 8945: 8910:

Smith, J. David; Beran, M. J.; Couchman, J. J.; Coutinho, M. V. C. (2008).

8896: 8812: 8745: 8544: 8505: 8371: 8029: 7954: 7897: 7651: 7515: 7433: 6691: 6495: 6300: 6241: 6182: 6123: 6074: 6005: 5771: 5648: 5287: 5221: 5203: 5059: 5032: 5025: 4993: 4685: 4608: 4547: 4399: 4378: 4314: 4248: 4226: 3910: 3764: 3689: 3547: 3213: 3186: 3020: 2982: 2460: 2345: 2110: 1398: 1312: 1207: 1025: 987: 962: 836: 758: 754: 723: 694: 642: 512: 344: 11787: 11724: 10767:"Revealed: first mammal species wiped out by human-induced climate change" 10564:. Geological Society of America Memoirs. Vol. 182. pp. 417–442. 8450: 8254: 8059: 7336:. In Feldhamer, George A.; Thompson, Bruce C.; Chapman, Joseph A. (eds.). 7303: 7237: 7211:. In Feldhamer, George A.; Thompson, Bruce C.; Chapman, Joseph A. (eds.). 7128: 7000: 6559: 5225:, damage many crops including sugar cane, fruits, vegetables, and tubers. 1242:

Perhaps the most extreme examples of colonial behavior in rodents are the

1218: 13478: 13346: 13201: 13186: 13181: 13149: 13139: 13092: 13008: 12793: 12742: 12325: 12247: 12165: 10642: 10228: 8927: 7524: 5400: 5351: 5255: 5228:

Rodents are also significant vectors of disease. The black rat, with the

5141: 5079: 5044: 5017: 4919: 4812: 4720: 4649: 4587: 4526: 4519: 4504: 4417: 4392: 4351: 4283: 4198: 3653: 3532: 3478: 3313: 3149: 3115: 2958:

The living rodent families based on the study done by Fabre et al. 2012.

2729: 1987: 1943: 1916:, suggesting that they must have dispersed rapidly across South America. 1860: 1601: 1578: 1544: 1415: 1353: 1341: 1332: 1301: 1283:(preferential behavior toward their kin) and also avoid inbreeding. This 1272:

on dominance, reproductive status and health. Compounds derived from the

1243: 1179: 1171: 1127: 952: 869:

and greater male–male combat. Female-bias sexual dimorphism exists among

840: 812: 796: 782: 742: 719: 606: 583: 476: 460: 333: 218: 212: 80: 11539:"Mice, rats, and people: The bio-economics of agricultural rodent pests" 11178: 10569: 9699: 9564: 7547:

Vaché, M.; Ferron, J.; Gouat, P. (2001). "The ability of red squirrels (

5460: 4799:, became extinct within ten years. Similar destruction has been seen on 3713: 2644: 13134: 13051: 13041: 12851: 12835: 12775: 12760: 12660: 12652: 12636: 12560: 12550: 12543: 12354: 12207: 12050: 12007: 11991: 11934: 11564: 11497: 10406: 10371: 8246: 7193: 7120: 6992: 6654: 6546: 5900: 5356: 5275: 5259: 5185: 5001: 4979:

were first used for research in 1828 and later became the first animal

4890: 4763:

was recorded from only two mountain localities in the 1920s, while the

4669: 4655: 4615: 4583: 4570: 4533: 4484: 4458: 4448: 4368: 4301: 4289: 4097: 3959: 3932: 3883: 3820: 3676: 3659: 3505: 3419: 2789: 2699: 2474: 2196: 2169: 2130: 2006: 1919: 1897: 1833: 1779: 1585: 1434: 1411: 1104: 1074: 1018: 956: 916:). Rodents have adapted to almost every terrestrial habitat, from cold 909: 800: 786: 769:, although not closely related, can both glide from tree to tree using 710: 653: 508: 488: 445: 174: 125: 90: 11375: 10114: 9025:"Social Learning in Animals: Empirical Studies and Theoretical Models" 6582: 6105: 5855: 5838: 5712: 5695: 5571:

Small Animal Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Disease: A Colour Handbook

4750:

Drawing of the critically endangered red crested soft-furred spiny rat

2216: 1471:

as a means of intra-specific communication during courtship among the

1005:

Extirpation of prairie dogs can also contribute to regional and local

13483: 13426: 13033: 12843: 12705: 12697: 12611: 12604: 12588: 12362: 12309: 12186: 12178: 12058: 12024: 10982: 10835:

The Fur Trade in Canada: An Introduction to Canadian Economic History

10694: 9597: 9503: 8102: 7295: 6441: 6255:

Horn, Charles C.; Ardell, Jeffrey L.; Fisher, Lee E. (1 March 2019).

5763: 5390: 5209: 5126: 5075: 5063: 5029: 4942: 4906: 4839: 4776: 4712: 4593: 4576: 4562: 4470: 4307: 4255: 4212: 4134: 4122: 3826: 3810: 3784: 3709: 3273: 3035: 2675: 2615: 2504: 2375: 2315: 2233: 2035: 2030:

name "Rodentia" is attributed to the English traveler and naturalist

1961: 1934: 1913: 1805: 1637: 1633: 1625: 1570: 1492: 1459: 1308:) excreting urine containing about a dozen genetically encoded MUPs. 1297: 1288: 1066: 1054: 1017:

through their feces, thereby allowing the fungi to disperse and form

999: 940: 901: 886: 874: 828: 808: 762: 729: 706: 666: 602: 598: 563: 552: 548: 516: 480: 456: 339: 247: 130: 13470: 13308: 11676:. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Archived from 11555: 11538: 11511: 11258:"Giant rats trained to detect land mines and tuberculosis in Africa" 10487: 10398: 10363: 9174: 8736: 8711: 7692:. In Altenmüller, Eckart; Schmidt, Sabine; Zimmermann, Elke (eds.). 7585: 7564: 7338:

Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation

7213:

Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation

7185: 6928: 6530: 5891: 4961: 4658:: climbing mice, rock mice, white-tailed rat, Malagasy rats and mice 4194: 436:), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing 13431: 13331: 13297: 13013: 12951: 12939: 12811: 12783: 12621: 12514: 12506: 12466: 12454: 12301: 12157: 11985: 10740:"Puffins a-plenty? New hope for Lundy and other UK seabird islands" 10350:

Wood, Albert E. (1955). "A Revised Classification of the Rodents".

10138: 9246:

Douzery, E. J. P.; Delsuc, F.; Stanhope, M. J.; Huchon, D. (2003).

7623:

Slobodchikoff, C. N.; Paseka, Andrea; Verdolin, Jennifer L (2009).

6984: 6025: 5869: 5365: 5347: 5343: 5215: 5169: 5159: 5147: 5135: 5130: 4997: 4985: 4864: 4756: 4716: 4705: 4602: 4488: 4480: 4476: 4462: 4452: 4093: 3843: 3335: 3007: 2995: 2685: 2638: 2398: 2210: 2001:

that resulted from the joining of the Americas by formation of the

1977: 1954: 1852: 1825: 1813: 1809: 1697: 1659:

with young, an example of a monogamous and communal nesting species

1651: 1394: 1390: 1357: 1280: 1138:, normally considered to be herbivorous, showed 34% animal matter. 1115: 1070: 991: 877:. It is not understood why this pattern occurs, but in the case of 870: 858: 816: 778: 770: 738: 702: 678: 674: 658: 638: 567: 472: 452: 437: 267: 182: 158: 120: 115: 100: 95: 85: 11072:

The Mouse in Biomedical Research: History, Genetics, and Wild Mice

10426:

Mammal Species of the World – a taxonomic and geographic reference

10042: 9478: 8709: 8191: 6854: 6833: 1933:, when Africa had collided with Asia, African rodents such as the 1483: 1360:

and are used when the individuals are out of sight of each other.

1263: 198: 12767: 12668: 12378: 12255: 12087: 11997: 11852:

Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference

11830: 10080: 5322: 5197: 5164: 4641: 4635: 4627: 4619: 3979: 2803: 1969: 1938: 1930: 1856: 1684: 1641: 1349: 1182:, through family groups to the independent, solitary life of the 944: 847:; the testes can be located either abdominally or at the groin. 844: 733:

Volume rendering of a mouse skull (CT) using shear warp algorithm

637:

Drawing of typical rodent tooth system: The front surface of the

625:

being an example, previously isolated from land-based predators.

492: 135: 110: 11626:"Rats, communications, and plague: Toward an ecological history" 10560:

Morgan, G. S. (1993). "Quaternary land vertebrates of Jamaica".

8397: 8161:"Evolution and function of drumming as communication in mammals" 7383: 7362: 4844:

declared extinct as a consequence of human-caused climate change

4783:, and with a fourth species in the Pacific, the Polynesian rat ( 2862: 1573:

occurs on a regular cycle while in others, such as voles, it is

12945: 12933: 12567: 12460: 12448: 12370: 12194: 12041: 11979: 11966: 11919: 8603: 8422: 7148:

The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog: Social Life of a Burrowing Mammal

5361: 5243: 5191: 4724: 4645: 4541: 4498: 4293: 3983: 2758: 2752: 2585: 2527: 2186: 2061: 1982: 1889: 1817: 1801: 1784: 1712: 1593: 1487:

The Cape ground squirrel is an example of a promiscuous rodent.

1194: 1146: 1123: 1100: 936: 917: 885:, sexual dimorphism can vary from population to population. In 673:. Most species have up to 22 teeth with no canines or anterior 670: 646: 571: 559: 524: 496: 484: 382: 355: 277: 257: 168: 11211:

UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals

9955: 9791: 9060: 7688:

Zimmermann, Elke; Leliveld, Lisette; Schehka, Lisette (2013).

7360: 1539: 1215:

another, and shares nesting and pup-raising responsibilities.

13592: 13418: 12734: 12239: 10927:

Proceedings of the Fourteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference 1990

8310: 7625:"Prairie dog alarm calls encode labels about predator colors" 7449:"Chapter 19: Kin Recognition in Rodents: Issues and Evidence" 4933:, baked guinea pig. The traditional Andean stove, known as a 4926: 4885: 4816: 4673: 4537: 2833: 2069: 1864: 1620: 1111: 1014: 1010: 995: 832: 750: 520: 464: 373: 11017: