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Animal Sciences Commons

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Zoology

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Ecomorphology

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Simple Predictors Of Bite Force In Bats: The Good, The Better, And The Better Still, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen Jan 2010

Simple Predictors Of Bite Force In Bats: The Good, The Better, And The Better Still, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Bite forces of 39 species from six families of New World bats with a variety of diets are quantified with a force meter under field conditions. Using regression approaches we search for a model that is a good morphological predictor of these bite forces. Body mass, an index that ignores differences in skull morphology, has a statistically significant relationship with bite force (R2 = 0.76) but is a relatively poor predictor compared with our best model (R2 = 0.94). The two best models of the eight we examine are one based on an estimate of strength …


A Simple Morphological Predictor Of Bite Force In Rodents, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen Jan 2008

A Simple Morphological Predictor Of Bite Force In Rodents, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Bite force was quantified for 13 species of North American rodents using a piezo-resistive sensor. Most of the species measured (11) formed a tight relationship between body mass and bite force (log 10(bite force) = 0.43(log 10(body mass)) + 0.416; R2 > 0.98). This high correlation exists despite the ecological (omnivores, grazers and more carnivorous) and taxonomic (Cricetidae, Heteromyidae, Sciuridae and Zapodidae) diversity of species. Two additional species, Geomys bursarius (Geomyidae) and a Sciurus niger (Sciuridae), bit much harder for their size. We found a simple index of strength based on two measurements of the incisor at the level of …