Arquivos de periódicos de fevereiro 2023

07 de fevereiro de 2023

Observations in iNaturalist remain insufficient to draw the border between the two subspecies of the vicuna

@michalsloviak @michaelweymann @tonyrebelo @jwidness @diegoalmendras @geichhorn

Please see:

Please also see my own recent Post about the vicuna (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/74636-adaptive-colouration-in-the-vicuna-camelidae-vicugna-vicugna#).

The two subspecies of the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) differ as follows.

The northern subspecies, Vicugna vicugna mensalis, possesses a conspicuous tract of pale pelage on and around the chest, with the whitish hairs on the chest itself being noticeably longer than those anywhere else on the figure. Please see the third photo in https://www.magazinehorse.com/en/vicuna/.

The southern subspecies, Vicugna vicugna vicugna, instead possesses a broad tract of fairly pale (but not particularly conspicuous) pelage on the posterior flanks, extending up to the level of the ileum (hip), as shown in https://www.flickr.com/photos/wdbowman/41823663541.

One of the puzzling aspects of the vicuna is that there is no obvious geographical barrier between the two subspecies. Instead, the distinction seems to be mainly latitudinal, within the endorheic region of the altiplano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altiplano).

There are now more than a thousand observations of the vicuna in iNaturalist, offering the prospect of locating the subspecies-border precisely.

Today, I scrutinised the observations, but failed to locate this border satisfactorily.

This failure was because

  • many of the observations in the region concerned are too unclear, owing to photographic problems of distance and illumination, and
  • those photos that do clearly show the colouration present a confusing geographical pattern, at a small scale.

Just north of a north-south gap in the observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21493503 is identifiable as subspecies mensalis.

The first observation south of this gap is: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/137351143, which is identifiable as subspecies vicugna.

This suggests that the subspecies-border lies at the latitude of Salinas de Garci Mendoza (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinas_de_Garci_Mendoza), viz. 19 degrees 38 minutes South.

However,

An observation in this general area showing subspecies vicugna is https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103617990. This is at 20 degrees 31 minutes South.

So, the above observations collectively indicate that the subspecies-border lies at 20 degrees South - which happens to be the latitude of the largest salina on Earth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni#) - or slightly farther south.

This differs considerably from http://www.isocard.net/images/journal/FILE486198178b052d8.pdf, in which Wheeler (2012) gives the crucial latitude as only 18 degrees South.

However, precise delineation remains elusive, for now.

We need

  • more, and clearer, photographs around the latitude of 20 degrees South, and
  • more information on possible small-scale translocations made by those conserving the species for its valuable wool, but not necessarily respecting the subspecies-distinction.
Posted on 07 de fevereiro de 2023, 04:26 PM by milewski milewski | 3 comentários | Deixar um comentário

More evidence that the Indian peafowl is unnattractive as prey to the leopard

Posted on 07 de fevereiro de 2023, 06:21 PM by milewski milewski | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

08 de fevereiro de 2023

Drymaplaneta semivitta, a lovable indigenous cockroach commensal in human homes in Perth, Western Australia

In my house and garden in inner-city suburban Perth, Western Australia, I have long had a friendly policy towards weeds and commensals. As far as possible, I allow 'wildlife' to share my living space, even indoors.

I can therefore report, based on at least three decades of experience, on the topic of the indigenous cockroach Drymaplaneta semivitta (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/339919-Drymaplaneta-semivitta and https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/acwm/1102012_Gisbornecockroach.pdf).

This species is closely related to Drymaplaneta communis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_shining_cockroach), which inhabits the largest Australian cities, in the southeast of the continent.

Drymaplaneta semivitta is a flightless cockroach with a body about 2.7 cm long. It is smaller-bodied than the non-indigenous, and far more abundant and gregarious, Periplaneta americana (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/82231-Periplaneta-americana and https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/roaches/american_cockroach.htm#:~:text=The%20life%20cycle%20from%20egg,150%20young%20in%20her%20lifetime.) and Blatella germanica (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121237-Blattella-germanica).

It is also slow-moving and confiding, hardly reacting to human approach even in warm weather. It shows the same disarming fearlessness towards the human species as do two indigenous birds common in my garden, namely Rhipidura leucophrys (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8143-Rhipidura-leucophrys) and Grallina cyanoleuca (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8583-Grallina-cyanoleuca).

Drymaplaneta semivitta is remarkably constant as a presence in my house and garden, being encountered as individuals (never in groups) behind wall-murals, in piles of paper, under bark the on trees, and in coarse mulch. It climbs smooth walls easily. It seems naturally scansorial, rather than terrestrial. It lacks defence-postures or -displays, and flees reluctantly/sluggishly.

In my experience, it has shown no noticeable seasonal variation in activity or breeding. This implies slow and steady metabolism, growth, and reproduction.

I have never felt any impulse to kill this species, even in my kitchen. I find its demeanour on discovery, which is confiding, unexcitable, and 'tame', to be endearing. It is silent and seemingly odourless. The only nuisance that I have noticed is the fecal specks that it leaves on the wall behind picture-frames

If one considers body-size multiplied by the number of individuals per unit area, D. semivitta is the major indigenous invertebrate - and indeed non-human animal of any sort - inhabiting the interior of my house.

The gecko Christinus marmoratus (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/33449-Christinus-marmoratus) is commensal in Perth, and is at least three-fold more massive than D. semivitta.

However, it remains at the outside of the building, is relatively scarce (with an average of only a few encounters per year, usually when some object such as a brick-pile is disturbed), and seems never actually to enter my house. The lizard is far more secretive, far less commensal, and far less numerous than the indigenous cockroach.

Posted on 08 de fevereiro de 2023, 08:34 PM by milewski milewski | 10 comentários | Deixar um comentário

13 de fevereiro de 2023

Ungulates with short vs long necks: how do their mouths reach the ground?

Alces alces:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/profile-view-female-moose-known-cow-1174799332
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-moose-cow-forest-1988379242
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/cow-moose-2-alex-mironyuk.html
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cow-calf-moose-prairie-saskatchewan-canada-91267190
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cow-moose-wyoming-autumn-2211850435
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133020777
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-moose-bull-alces-1040834086
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/moose-female-grazing-on-spring-forest-406938097
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/single-isolated-moose-elk-alces-standing-2227061453
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cow-moose-canada-1315603016
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mammal-moose-winter-alces-744208375
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/horizontal-orientation-color-image-moose-cow-796645390

https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-moose-grazing-field-image6112709

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cow-moose-calves-701714593

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/moose-animal-field-1642318729

Lama guanicoe:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141173000
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/147366824
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/145216662
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/147366503
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133020777
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/132479487
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129227217
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146380368
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139979140
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-grazing-on-green-grass-chiles-1778904281
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-peninsula-patagonia-argentina-2227602953
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-peninsula-patagonia-argentina-2227602973
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-peninsula-patagonia-argentina-2227602915
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105610264
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102657207
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98106366
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70012303

Posted on 13 de fevereiro de 2023, 10:20 PM by milewski milewski | 16 comentários | Deixar um comentário

Variation among ungulates in flexibility of fetlock joint

The following photos of Rangifer tarandus tarandus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_reindeer) provide food for thought:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/wild-reindeer-running-norway-scandinavia-115993429 and https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/walking-reeindeer-against-natural-landscape-norway-118110622.

The following shows that the false-hooves (dewclaws) touch the ground even during walking:
https://www.alamy.com/reindeer-rangifer-tarandus-walking-by-a-road-in-lapland-sweden-image151592775.html.

However, they do not touch the ground during standing:
https://www.dreamstime.com/reindeer-road-adult-male-reindeer-huge-antlers-standing-along-road-rangifer-tarandus-image126358242 and https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-258567196/stock-photo-reindeer-standing-on-the-road-%28rangifer-tarandus%29.

This suggests that, in Rangifer tarandus, the false-hooves (dewclaws) tend to touch the ground even when walking on firm surfaces.

The following shows that, in Alces alces, the false-hooves likewise touch the ground during trotting on a firm surface:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/large-female-moose-crossing-road-on-556506865

However, in the case of A, alces, thenfalse-hovves remain clear of the ground during walking:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Moose_crossing_a_road.jpg

Alces alces:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/moose-wyoming-752967940
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/moose-crosses-road-on-cabot-trail-176672474
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-moose-crosses-alaska-highway-near-1652325463

https://www.tripsavvy.com/how-to-avoid-hitting-deer-and-moose-with-car-2973107

https://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/travel-safety-health-news-674/the-moose-a-rare-but-often-deadly-road-hazard-743859.html

Bubalus carabanensis:

https://wildsidenaturetours.com/?attachment_id=2167#foobox-1/0/SRI-LANKA-Water-Buffalo-f-2000-BINNS-D64A2575-copy.jpg
https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/7555222-man-with-buffalo-crossing-the-road
https://travel67.com/2016/07/24/water-buffalo-crossing/

Posted on 13 de fevereiro de 2023, 10:46 PM by milewski milewski | 20 comentários | Deixar um comentário

14 de fevereiro de 2023

Subtle and multifaceted adaptive colouration in the largest wild ruminant in South America: the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), part 1

(For my account of the vicuna, please see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/74636-adaptive-colouration-in-the-vicuna-camelidae-vicugna-vicugna#)

The colouration in the guanaco (Lama guanicoe, https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/guanaco/characteristics) is simple in the sense that it does not vary with sex or age. Males, females, juveniles, and infants all share the same colouration.

However, the patterns are difficult to describe, because

  • the species is neither plain-coloured nor conspicuously patterned in an unambivalent and consistent way,
  • subspecies remain poorly-defined, and
  • there is considerable variation among individuals and populations, beyond a recognisable north-south cline.

Conspicuous features of adaptive colouration, in mammals including the guanaco, may be noticeably dark, noticeably pale, or both together in the form of dark/pale contrast.

POSSIBLE LATERAL BLEEZE:

The following is a reminder of the degree of conspicuousness of a lateral bleeze: Eudorcas thomsoni https://eol.org/pages/129521

In the guanaco, the pale of the ventral surface of the torso extends too high on the flanks to function merely as countershading.

This is true particularly for the posterior flank, on which the depigmented tract almost reaches the back/rump (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9193898 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12747531 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-coast-patagonia-argentina-10889650 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-national-park-1489331 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-patagonia-argentina-145863224 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49363889).

An advantage of the placement of the pale tract on the posterior flank is that the feature is conspicuous not only in profile but also in

The following photo might not have been worth taking, were it not for the postulated lateral bleeze (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1241095).

The following shows the maximal extent of pale on the flanks of the guanaco: https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-patagonia-61999597.

However, for the species overall, the feature in question does not necessarily qualify as a bleeze.

This is because some populations, particularly in Peru/northern Chile and northwestern Argentina, tend to lack the pale tract (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62432736 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68274775 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101287743 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120576915 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130734244 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141054878 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119045255 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-roaming-beneath-vertical-sandstone-walls-1966448038 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49720955 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30950180 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9589818).

POSSIBLE FACIAL/LARYNGEAL/AURICULAR FLAG:

The following is a reminder of the degree conspicuousness of a facial bleeze: Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi https://777ranch.com/product/blesbok-or-blesbuck/.

A facial flag is less conspicuous than the above, but becomes conspicuousness when moved.

(For a description of laryngeal and auricular flags, please see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/48447-conspicuous-features-of-colouration-in-giraffes#.)

The head of the guanaco tends to have dark aspects and pale aspects, in some cases in combination.

The face of the guanaco, unlike that of the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna), tends to be somewhat dark (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/wild-guanaco-chilean-andies-1599385441 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/patagonia-wildlife-guanaco-chile-torres-del-2195348847 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lamas-national-park-torres-del-1012256998 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/family-guanacos-lama-guanicoe-desert-chile-2119401701 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27661333).

Furthermore, there tends to be a pale, possibly sheeny streak from the crook of the throat to, and including, the ear pinnae (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7538582 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-lama-guanicoe-female-cub-torres-1468689881 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-392154568 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-525268 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-lama-guanicoe-female-cub-torres-1468689881 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-national-park-1180913092 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-national-park-72827194 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-south-american-wildlife-patagonia-1462149629 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/67711685).

Of thousands of photos of the guanaco on the Web, the following shows a hypothetical facial/laryngeal flag most clearly (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98607391).

However, the darkness on the face is one of the most variable aspects of colouration in the guanaco, both regionally and individually. Furthermore, even more than in the vicuna (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/pretty-llama-walking-green-meadow-28236070), the pallor on the side of the posterior part of the face is so small-scale (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98462641) that its effectiveness as a conspicuous feature is questionable.

POSSIBLE FIBULAR FLAG:

Please see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/70368-a-new-feature-of-adaptive-colouration-in-ungulates-the-fibular-flag#.

The inner surfaces of the legs are so extensively and uniformly whitish in the guanaco that this far exceeds countershading (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81955507 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-patagonia-argentina-516764902 https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-relative-llama-grazing-along-grasslands-1540586732 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-on-hill-1989759152 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-chile-wild-648760288).

This suggests that the whitish inner surface of the upper hindleg, in particular, functions as a flag during walking (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10060027 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1214422).

POSSIBLE POSTERIOR BLEEZE/FLAG:

The following is a reminder of the degree of conspicuousness of a posterior bleeze (Dama dama https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/deer-forest-1374230219).

In the guanaco, the buttocks, and the posterior surfaces of the forelegs, tend to be pale (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-side-looking-background-purple-pink-2101908997 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34519891).

This is partly because the short pelage as well as the associated visible skin of the buttocks are depigmented - unlike the somewhat pigmented bare skin of the perineal area, around anus and vulva (see second photo in https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69026331).

Furthermore, in those populations and individuals in which the pelage on the tail is dark, there is some degree of dark/pale contrast on the posterior aspect of the figure (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/brown-white-guanaco-natural-environment-ocher-2196598343).

The pattern on the buttocks of the guanaco is usually more conspicuous than that in the vicuna (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/group-wild-vicunas-andes-2071138874).

However, it is questionable whether this qualifies as a bleeze, even in the case of the guanaco.

This is because

POSSIBLE FRONTAL BLEEZE:

The following is a reminder of the degree of conspicuousness of a frontal bleeze: Vicugna vicugna mensalis https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/portrait-wild-vicuna-arequipa-region-south-2131817439

In the guanaco, there are two features, on the front of the figure, that potentially function as large-scale advertisement (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-patagonia-11002648).

These are pale surfaces

A difference between the guanaco and the vicuna is that the anterior surface of the neck is pale only in the former species.

The upright orientation of the long neck of the guanaco (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-la-pampa-argentina-536889943) makes it unlikely that this pale pelage functioning as countershading. Therefore, the real function may be to make the figure conspicuous.

Furthermore, the pale pelage on the neck is long enough that the conspicuousness applies also under backlit illumination (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51414334 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/beautiful-patagonia-chile-mammal-family-camelids-1549154981 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-steppes-patagonia-argentina-1295332438 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/three-amazing-guanacos-puppies-looks-camera-1347921581 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-wildlife-national-park-torres-del-1094853107 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-national-park-torres-del-paine-280431626 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19546459).

However, it is questionable whether the guanaco qualifies as possessing a frontal bleeze.

This is because

COMPLEXITY OF PELAGE/BARE SKIN AT ABDOMEN, ELBOW, BUTTOCKS, AND UNDER-TAIL

There is an intriguing aspect of the anatomy of the guanaco, located at the abdomen ('inguinal'), near the elbow ('axillary'), on the buttocks, and on the ventral surface of the tail.

This is

  • the sharp differentiation of long pelage from apparently bare skin, and
  • the difference between the pale skin of groin, buttocks, and tail and the dark skin of the perineum.

The main function of the pale, apparently bare skin (which also seems to occur on the inner surface of the upper forelegs) seems to be thermoregulation, rather than display by means of colouration.

When the animal stands under normal conditions, the panels of apparently bare skin are 'closed', by virtue of

However, when the slight hunching of the torso is relaxed, what becomes visible is the clear distinction between the ventral pelage and the apparently bare skin,

These apparently bare surfaces presumably function to regulate body heat, via perspiration (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11163922/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306456500000140 and https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12165924_Sweating_in_the_guanaco_Lama_guanicoe and https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Scheme-of-a-guanaco-and-the-topographic-areas-where-skin-samples-were-taken1-inner_fig3_231316047) and radiation. In cold weather, the apparently bare panels can be covered, mainly by postural adjustments including the 'clamping' of the tail.

Few ungulates on Earth possess this mechanism, which may be related to the unusually narrow 'waist' of camelids (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61249739 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61250535).

At first glance, there is little remarkable about the pale tract on the abdomen in the following (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146611617 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/123748337).

However, on closer scrutiny it can be seen that there is a considerable area of pale, apparently bare skin. There is another, similar but smaller, patch of pale, apparently bare skin just posterior to the elbow.

From the viewpoint of colouration:
A remarkable aspect of this anatomical configuration is that the skin is so depigmented that, even when maximally exposed, it does not detract from the conspicuous pallor of the flanks (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41904227 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107503431 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77991631 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74556475 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65433399).

to be continued in https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/75389-subtle-and-multifaceted-adaptive-colouration-in-the-largest-wild-ruminant-in-south-america-the-guanaco-lama-guanicoe-part-2#...

Posted on 14 de fevereiro de 2023, 04:22 PM by milewski milewski | 34 comentários | Deixar um comentário

16 de fevereiro de 2023

18 de fevereiro de 2023

Subtle and multifaceted adaptive colouration in the largest wild ruminant in South America: the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), part 2

...continued from https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/75256-subtle-and-multifaceted-adaptive-colouration-in-the-largest-wild-ruminant-in-south-america-the-guanaco-lama-guanicoe-part-1#

In part 1, I have described the larger-scale features of adaptive colouration in the guanaco. Here, I describe the smaller-scale features, followed by an overall discussion.

POSSIBLE CAUDAL FLAG:

The following is a reminder of how conspicuous a caudal flag can be: Odocoileus virginianus https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/odocoileus-virginianus-leucurus.

The tail of the guanaco tends to be somewhat dark (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143882795).

It is also habitually raised, to varying degrees and in various circumstances (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9956653 and https://www.westend61.de/en/imageView/FOF002916/south-america-chile-patagonia-guanacos-in-torres-del-paine-national-park and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-parque-luro-nature-reserve-la-1904100052 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148456176 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141173000).

However, there is much individual/regional variation in the size and tone of the tail.

Furthermore, the bare skin on the ventral surface of the tail, visible when the tail is raised, is inconspicuously pale (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69735055 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126889604 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/145758231 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21321419).

The following shows the maximum size and darkness of the tail (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59737148).

The following show the minimum size and darkness of the tail (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55603034 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32918899 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44806476 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105626932 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/97562639 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19546312).

Overall, the case for a caudal flag is weak. The tail certainly has functions in signalling/self-advertisement in the guanaco. However, what is ambivalent is the degree to which colouration plays a role in this.

POSSIBLE PEDAL FLAG:

The following is a reminder of how conspicuous a pedal flag can be: Boselaphus tragocamelus https://www.flickr.com/photos/cirdan-travels/48675416448.

The lower legs of the guanaco may be pale, in a way that is potentially conspicuous, particularly when the limbs move (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/123266443 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129227204 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114424972 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139979140 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102997898).

However, this is inconsistent among individuals and populations (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/108379179 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/147915290 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/121451241 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-roaming-arid-altiplano-landscape-near-2151990071).

Because the feet do not have conspicuous colouration in most individuals/regions, I doubt that the guanaco qualifies as possessing a pedal flag.

POSSIBLE AURICULAR SEMET:

There seems to be a sheen effect on the posterior surface of the ear pinnae in the guanaco (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52204973 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98011389 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/93318347 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60795995 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40917644).

The anterior surface of the ear pinnae is also conspicuously pale in some views (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3034784 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/single-guanaco-on-highway-patagonia-mountains-625124627 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39805135).

In northern populations, the ear pinnae in some individuals are dark (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4522872 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32431037).

However, the conspicuousness of the ear pinnae is limited, owing to their small size (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70619726 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62258944 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106996094 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44917500).

Populations in/near the Atacama Desert may have the largest ear pinnae (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33042947 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9822543).

A case can be made that the colouration of the ear pinnae in the guanaco qualifies as an auricular semet, expressing emotion in close-range social (intraspecific) interactions (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/89238468 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36562604). However, this is undermined by the regional occurrence of individuals in which the ear pinnae are as dark as the rest of the head.

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY:

The maximum similarity in colouration between the guanaco (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/group-guanaco-lama-guanicoe-grazing-on-776986573 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105626932) and the vicuna (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/79058821) is considerable.

It is testimony to the similarity in colouration between the guanaco and V. v. vicugna that dozens of photos of the latter are mislabelled as the former on the Web.

Overall, the most significant, and least ambivalent, of the features of adaptive colouration in the guanaco is the pale of the posterior flank (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50836549 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/147930621 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-patagonia-61999597 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/group-guanacos-roaming-bushland-against-hazy-2158956455 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/123266439).

This feature, as in the vicuna, is 'caleonic' in origin (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/67529-caleonic-colouration-in-the-caribou-part-1-rangifer-tarandus-terranovae#).

The postulated lateral bleeze of the guanaco (which functions also anterio- and posteriolaterally) resembles a feature of conspicuous colouration in the southern, nominate subspecies of the vicuna, viz., V. v. vicugna (https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/two-guanacos-heads-down-eating-atacama-2146328725 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicuna-vicgna-vicugna-high-altitude-camelid-22334845 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-middle-atacama-desert-chile-1893077476 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-lama-guanicoe-patagonia-264363041 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/two-guanacos-posing-photo-1718861740 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/lonely-guanaco-walking-on-rocks-chile-1595227213 and https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-searching-food-atacama-desert-chile-1286391754).

However, even this caleonic, relatively large-scale feature is too inconsistent for the guanaco, as a species overall, to qualify as possessing unambivalently conspicuous colouration.

I hesitate to invoke subspecies in the case of the guanaco.

However, my finding is that the northern populations have the least conspicuous colouration, with the possible exception of a dark head (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50710723 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40923890 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9589820 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9079851 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7664369 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4841699 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4525711).

Posted on 18 de fevereiro de 2023, 01:23 AM by milewski milewski | 3 comentários | Deixar um comentário

Doubt about the taxonomic status of subspecies in both of the wild camelids of South America

@michaelweymann @michalsloviak @tonyrebelo @geichhorn @jwidness @jakob

There are two species of wild camelids in South America, namely the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42236-Vicugna-vicugna) and the guanaco (Lama guanicoe, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42240-Lama-guanicoe).

In both,

  • there is sexual monomorphism, with so little difference in appearance between male and female that the sexes are hard to distinguish in the field,
  • the intraspecific variation is mainly latitudinal (north-south),
  • body size is considerably smaller in northern than in southern forms, and
  • the distributions are wide enough that subspecies have been postulated.

However, in both species, the question of subspeciation remains somewhat puzzling and unresolved.

In the case of the vicuna, there is no problem recognising the two subspecies, which look so different that raising them to the status of different species (Groves and Grubb 2011) seems reasonable.

What has not previously been pointed out is that the two subspecies differ categorically in a way.

The northern subspecies has conspicuous colouration overall, whereas the southern subspecies does not (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/74636-adaptive-colouration-in-the-vicuna-camelidae-vicugna-vicugna#). Furthermore, confusion of identity, in which photos of the vicuna on the Web are mislabelled as the guanaco, occurs only in the case of V. v. vicugna.

However, the puzzle is how the two subspecies have remained distinct, despite the lack of a geographical barrier between them.

Vicugna vicugna vicugna and Vicugna vicugna mensalis live in similar landscapes, and under similarly extreme (high-altitude) climates. One merely replaces the other on a south-north basis - so abruptly that there seems to be no zone of natural intergradation.

In the case of the guanaco,

  • the northern and southern forms are as not as consistently different as in the case of the vicuna - despite the greater latitudinal span involved, and
  • there is more individual variation, within any given population, than in the case of the vicuna.

(What has not previously been pointed out is that the vicuna is one of the least individually variable of ungulates, all adult members within each subspecies appearing virtually identical once the effects of intermittent wool-shearing by humans are taken into account.)

In the guanaco the intraspecific variation seems too patchy and irregular to allow identification of subspecies on the basis of either appearance or region. A clinal, as opposed to subspecific, system of variation seems plausible.

The following is a closer scrutiny of subspecific variation in the two species.

VICUNA:

The northern subspecies of the vicuna, viz. Vicugna vicugna mensalis, is easily recognised by virtue of its frontal bleeze, centred on the chest:

https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicugna-one-duo-wild-south-american-1669487275
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/andes-guanaco-pampa-chimborazo-ecuador-vicugna-1669487272
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/walking-near-chimborazo-volcano-1897292002
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicugna-one-two-wild-south-american-333453035
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/portrait-wild-vicuna-arequipa-region-south-2131817439
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/image-couple-guanacos-eating-grass-cajamarca-1902872560
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/del-chimborazo-natural-fauna-national-park-2226795157
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/llama-domesticated-south-american-camelid-widely-1018987360

The pale pelage in the southern subspecies of the vicuna, viz. Vicugna vicugna vicugna, emphasises the hips instead of the chest. However, it is not particularly conspicuous in either of these parts of the body:

https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicuna-vicgna-vicugna-high-altitude-camelid-22049122
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicuna-vicgna-vicugna-high-altitude-camelid-22493302
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/vicuna-vicgna-vicugna-high-altitude-camelid-22355119
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/group-guanaco-lama-guanicoe-high-on-775035142 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-national-park-1478386475 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/single-guanaco-somewhere-atacama-desert-chile-1332505547 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-torres-del-paine-national-park-1478386475 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanacos-searching-food-atacama-desert-chile-1286391754 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-la-rioja-argentina-1718621131 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/llamas-deserts-argentinian-1699860442 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/guanaco-atacama-desert-chile-624501227 (mislabelled on the Web)
https://www.shutterstock.com/it/image-photo/lonely-guanaco-walking-on-rocks-chile-1562492434 (mislabelled on the Web)

GUANACO:

In the case of the guanaco:

Previous descriptions, in the literature, of the difference between northern and southern forms of the guanaco (http://www.isocard.net/images/journal/FILE486198178b052d8.pdf) seem inept/incomplete/misleading.

This because

  • it has been claimed that the northernmost subspecies, namely Lama guanicoe cacsilensis, tends to be relatively pale - which is not borne out by the many photos on the Web, from Peru and northern Chile,
  • a major point has been overlooked, viz. that the pale tracts on the posterior flanks and on the buttocks are poorly-developed, and
  • a minor point has been overlooked, viz. that the dark on the head extends relatively far to the posterior, including the ear pinnae in some individuals.

The following are the northernmost 44 observations of the guanaco in iNaturalist, west of the Andes, all of which would presumably fall within subspecies cacsilensis:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141305341
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105181237 (apparently hybridised with Lama glama)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7268729
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/136755508
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40909643
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64786909
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8731923
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105856849
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40389324
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107268597
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70619726
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/67199697
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107811089
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/527136
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32921414
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91233424
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37350367
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/142624917
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42546450
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75108809
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/145560124
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106197145
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84919483
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/93328362
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33554348
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32431037
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16793515
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36787442
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77991631
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77951617
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40967615
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126721594
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102013144
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19062955
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120576915
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37000683
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36390082
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120125601
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130006503
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27661333
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/142179644
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7664369
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105877817
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/146530144

What these photos reveal is a relatively uniform colouration, with a ground-colour that is not noticeably pale in most individuals. In these populations, most of the pale features of the species are relatively poorly-developed, disqualifying what I have referred to as

  • a lateral bleeze,
  • a frontal bleeze,
  • a posterior bleeze/flag, and
  • a laryngeal flag.

Furthermore, the head is consistently and extensively rather dark, the darkness extending to the ear pinnae in some individuals.

At the other (southern) extreme of the distribution of the guanaco lies the island of Tierra del Fuego (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362053098_Guanaco_colonisation_of_Tierra_del_Fuego_Island_from_mainland_Patagonia_Walked_swam_or_by_canoe).

The many observations in iNaturalist from Tierra del Fuego can be seen in https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=-52.65826842464855&nelng=-63.79588773148024&place_id=any&swlat=-55.06352235315374&swlng=-68.6069750221495&taxon_id=42240. These all fall within the nominate subspecies, guanicoe.

Within these sets of photos, the clearest comparison is between
northern https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27661333
southern https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/108379179

and

northern https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106197145
southern https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/145216662

This confirms that the main difference between the northern and southern forms is the extension of the ventral pale pelage on to the flanks (constituting a lateral bleeze) in the latter.

Although this difference seems obvious, I have yet to see it pointed out in the literature. This omission may be partly because terms such as 'blaze', 'bles', and 'bleeze' are too specialised to be applied to general descriptions. However, by stating that it is the northern form that is the paler overall, previous authors have, in a sense, inverted the real relationship.

Although adapted to arid to semi-arid climates, the northern form of the guanaco is not pallid in the way so familiar in mammals and birds of deserts. It is, instead, better-described as relatively plain-coloured for its species.

Based on the consistent difference between northern and southern forms of the guanaco in the absence/presence of a lateral bleeze, I would have no objection to recognising these as valid subspecies, namely cacsilensis and nominate guanicoe. However, it remains possible that the variation is clinal (on a latitudinal basis), rather than subspecific.

Furthermore, it remains unclear how the remaining two postulated subspecies, namely voglii (Bolivia and northwestern Argentina) and huanacus (central Chile), relate to the colouration illustrated here.

It would make sense for voglii (east of the Andes) to differ from huanacus (west of the Andes), because they are separated by a formidable geographical barrier. However, clear differences among the three forms, cacsilensis, voglii (https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/guanacos-in-the-talampaya-canyon-gm1385221178-444115424?phrase=guanaco), and huanacus (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40923890), have yet to be demonstrated.

A strong case can be made - based partly on the lack of any cline/intergradation - for the recognition of Vicugna vicugna vicugna as a species separate from what is currently regarded as subspecies mensalis. It is, therefore, ironic that this relatively plain-coloured southern form of the vicuna is not only seldom appreciated for its distinctiveness, but it is frequently misidentified as the northern, relatively plain-coloured form of the guanaco.

This confusion, which is an embarrassment on the Web, results partly from the fact that both V. v. vicugna (high altitudes) and L. g. cacsilensis (low altitudes) occur in the Atacama region (in a sense broader than the low-altitude desert, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Region)

Posted on 18 de fevereiro de 2023, 08:11 AM by milewski milewski | 28 comentários | Deixar um comentário

24 de fevereiro de 2023

The springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) seems to qualify as possessing a facial flag, but not a caudal flag

@capracornelius

Also see https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/53340-differences-among-gazelles-in-the-structure-and-function-of-the-tail# and https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/51816-a-comparison-of-the-goitred-gazelle-and-the-springbok#

Bigalke (1972, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00445096.1972.11447448), on page 336, states, under the heading "HEAD TOSSING":

"springbok often toss the head as they move off, commonly at a fast trot, when alarmed. The movement is pronounced, the head being lowered to near the ground and raised again repeatedly. It appears in other gaits as well...Head tossing is an important element of the stott and also appears in the proud trot."

Has this behaviour ever been photographed or filmed, beyond inadvertent coverage as part of stotting? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZyjiEhtBLU)

THE FACIAL FLAG OF THE SPRINGBOK

From the viewpoint of adaptive colouration, I hypothesise that the whitish pelage, covering most of the face in adults of the springbok, constitutes a facial flag (a term I have recently coined, 50 years after this paper by Bigalke was published).

https://www.freeimages.com/premium/springbok-head-1616953

https://focusedcollection.com/203469486/stock-photo-portrait-one-springbok-horns-standing.html

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/close-up-of-a-springbok-head-etosha-national-park-namibia-gm1074515782-287659509

https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/details-photo/springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-portrait-kgalagadi-transfrontier-park-northern-cape-south-africa-africa/ZI6-2528944/1

All flags, in the sense of adaptive colouration in mammals, are by definition activated by motion. In this case, the activation is partly by means of head-tossing, as described by Bigalke.

The facial flag of the springbok has an ontogenetic component, being absent at birth, and fully-developed in adulthood.

The fawn-coloured markings on the face in infants and juveniles (https://depositphotos.com/253184374/stock-photo-closeup-portrait-beautiful-springbok-his.html) tend to disappear in adulthood, in both sexes.

The following are particularly clear illustrations of the difference in facial colouration between infants and their mothers:

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/springboks-mother-and-lamb-in-the-kalahari-desert-gm1215293721-353914538?phrase=springbok%20nursing

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/springboks-mother-and-lamb-in-the-kalahari-desert-gm1216217997-354562487?phrase=springbok%20nursing

First photo in https://mistersafari.com/khutse-game-reserve/

The following show the progressive loss of the fawn (ground-colour) from the face, with the age of the individual:

Neonate:
https://www.alamy.com/springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-baby-resting-on-ground-using-camouflage-for-defence-kgalagadi-transfrontier-park-south-africa-image357520963.html?imageid=2300EFD8-5CB8-47AE-874A-3321150EC059&p=477095&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0Infant:https://www.alamy.com/springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-young-lamb-resting-rainy-season-with-image153102567.html?imageid=CB4D276D-D63B-4E04-A229-4ECC4A395363&p=204862&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0

Infant/juvenile:
https://www.alamy.com/springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-young-lamb-resting-rainy-season-with-image153102511.html?imageid=9B0A3BD9-3C07-4570-9ECA-AE218571ECAB&p=204862&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0

Juvenile just after horns appear:
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-young-springbok-antelopes-resting-at-etosha-national-park-located-149347112.html?imageid=BD03D04A-08E7-4886-866C-64E4F70A3BF8&p=14406&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0

Adult female:
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-herd-resting-in-the-kalahari-desert-26254321.html?imageid=6EB0FF4F-DD92-43C2-B1F5-9B6DCEDFCFE5&p=80871&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0

Adult male:
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-springbok-antidorcas-marsupialis-herd-resting-in-the-kalahari-desert-26254321.html?imageid=6EB0FF4F-DD92-43C2-B1F5-9B6DCEDFCFE5&p=80871&pn=1&searchId=6d4c43606c5f5d238388a54565d6b0ae&searchtype=0

DOES THE SPRINGBOK QUALIFY AS POSSESSING A CAUDAL FLAG?

On page 335 of the same publication, Bigalke (1972) states:

"Walther points out that the tail of all gazelles is an extremely mobile organ. In the springbok, the tail is moved from side to side incessantly while the animals feed or walk about. Tense situations, as for example when a resting herd is disturbed and the animals rise and watch the intruder, also produce active tail wagging. In flight, on the other hand, the tail is pressed up against the body between the haunches, as in Grant's gazelle (Walther 1968)."

The following hardly support Bigalke's observation that the tail is routinely wagged during walking:

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-video-footage-springbok-antelope-herd-large-antelopes-antidorcas-marsupialis-walking-over-plains-kalahari-desert-south-africa-video37600682

https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/8567891-springbok-antelope-herd-african-wildlife-safari-kalahari-des

https://www.dreamstime.com/springbok-antelopes-walking-line-kalahari-desert-herd-antidorcas-marsupialis-south-africa-video196509142

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-video-footage-springbok-antelopes-walking-line-herd-antidorcas-marsupialis-kalahari-desert-south-africa-video75741536

https://www.shutterstock.com/it/video/clip-1328305-large-herd-springbok-antelopes-antidorcas-marsupialis-walking

https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/8548432-large-herd-springbok-antelopes-kalahari-desert-south-africa

https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/k0051669/view

https://www.shutterstock.com/it/video/clip-1316965-large-herd-springbok-antelopes-antidorcas-marsupialis-walking

https://depositphotos.com/153463014/stock-video-herd-of-springbok-africa-safari.html

https://www.shutterstock.com/it/video/clip-1014601916-springbok-eating-walking

https://www.istockphoto.com/video/springbok-antelope-herd-gm473149625-23243807

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-footage-springbok-antelope-antidorcas-marsupialis-walking-grassland-south-africa-video44273442

The following do support Bigalke's observations, but show how inconspicuous the tail is, even in motion:

https://dissolve.com/video/Herd-springbok-antelopes-Antidorcas-marsupialis-walking-royalty-free-stock-video-footage/001-D260-8-038

https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/66425457-springbok-antelope-herd-natural-habitat-kalahari-south-afric

In terms of adaptive colouration, a caudal flag consists of a pattern of dark, pale, or dark/pale contrast, on and adjacent to the tail, that is not necessarily conspicuous in the stationary figure, but becomes conspicuous in motion, even at some distance.

The springbok differs from most other gazelles in that its tail

Therefore, even when the springbok wags its tail in normal activity, and in mild alarm, this does not necessarily mean that this signal is significantly amplified by the colouration of the tail. A good example of such amplification is instead seen in the goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), in which the pattern is far more graphic than in the springbok (https://www.istockphoto.com/video/running-goitered-gazelle-gm473245311-26196643?phrase=gazelle%20running).

The following shows the maximum development of the dark tassel of the tail in the springbok (https://www.istockphoto.com/video/springbok-gm1453656922-489483658?phrase=springbok). However, once again, contrary to Bigalke, it is not activated during routine walking.

My findings, therefore, are that the springbok

  • qualifies as possessing a facial flag (in adolescents and adults of both sexes, not in infants or juveniles), but
  • does not qualify as possessing a caudal flag (owing to the tail being too slight, too inflexible, and too inert for the combination of whitish tail-stalk and dark tassel to add much to the conspicuousness of the figure).
Posted on 24 de fevereiro de 2023, 11:56 AM by milewski milewski | 6 comentários | Deixar um comentário