Ecological and histological aspects of tail loss in spiny mice (Rodentia: Muridae, Acomys) with a review of its occurrence in rodents
Ecological and histological aspects of tail loss in spiny mice (Rodentia: Muridae, Acomys) with a review of its occurrence in rodents
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb00757.x
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发表时间：
1999-10-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Dayan, T
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Shargal, E;Rath-Wolfson, L;Dayan, T
在野外发现许多夜间活动的普通刺鼠Acomys cahirinus和白天活动的金刺鼠A. russatus的尾巴全部或部分缺失。这可能是一种捕食者躲避机制。一项为期25个月的野外研究表明，在以色列Fin Gedi，雄性和雌性金棘鼠的尾巴脱落率分别为63%和44%，雄性和雌性普通棘鼠的尾巴脱落率分别为12%和25%。尾巴脱落在金刺鼠中比在普通刺鼠中更为常见，这可能反映了这些物种使用的不同微栖息地和不同活动时间之间捕食风险或捕食者效率的差异。然而，种间和种内的攻击性相互作用也可能部分解释了这种模式。没有尾巴和没有尾巴的刺鼠在寿命、体重或生殖条件方面没有什么显著差异，这表明没有尾巴的个体有优势。组织学切片显示一个平面将皮肤层与下面的肌肉和椎骨分开，促进皮肤脱落并少量出血。剩下的部分（肌肉和骨头）随后被老鼠咀嚼掉。一项对已发表的啮齿动物尾巴脱落案例的调查显示，这种现象至少发生在35个物种中，并在8个啮齿动物科中分别进化，在系统、地理或栖息地利用方面没有明确的模式。
Many individual nocturnal common spiny mice Acomys cahirinus and diurnal golden spiny mice A. russatus in the field are found missing all or part of their tails. Possibly, this is a predator avoidance mechanism. A 25-month field study revealed that at Fin Gedi (Israel) percentage tail-loss is 63% in male and 44% in female golden spiny mice, and 12% in male and 25% in female common spiny mice. Tail loss is significantly more common in golden spiny mice than in common spiny mice, possibly reflecting differences in predation risk or predator efficiency between the different microhabitats used by these species and in their different activity times. However, inter- and intraspecific aggressive interactions may also account in part for this pattern. Few significant differences in longevity, body mass, or reproductive condition were found between tailed and tail-less spiny mice, suggesting an advantage to tail-less individuals. Histological sections revealed a plane separating the skin layer from the underlying muscles and vertebrae, facilitating loss of the skin with little bleeding. The remainder (muscles and bone) is later chewed off by the mouse. A survey of published cases of tail loss in rodents revealed that this phenomenon occurs in at least 35 species and has evolved separately in eight rodent families, with no clear pattern in systematics, geography, or habitat use.