Correlation of the feeding habits, jaw musculature and type of teeth of some South African golden moles

Title: Correlation of the feeding habits, jaw musculature and type of teeth of some South African golden moles
Creator: Thelejane, Thomas Sohl
Subject: Moles (Animals) -- Food
Subject: Insectivores (Mammals)
Date: 1958
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MSc
Identifier: vital:5892
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013385
Description: The jaw musculature and its innervation in the Chrysochloridae studied is typicaly mammalian except that the m. temporalis occupies the whole of the orbito-temporal fossa. The antemolar teeth are specialized, while the molars are simple and primitive. Normally the diet of Golden Moles consists of earthworms, insects in all stages of development and millipedes. The firm implantation of the antemolar teeth can be correlated with their function of catching the prey, while the molars are adapted for a worm-like diet. The available evidence indicates that the genera Bematiscus and Chrysospalax are more primitive than the other Golden Moles. Since Golden Moles feed on insects in all stares of development and millipedes, they can be considered as being of economic importance.
Format: 61 p., pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Zoology
Language: English
Rights: Thelejane, Thomas Sohl

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