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The Annual Reproductive Cycle Of Oryzomys Palustris In A Virginia Tidal Marsh, Erin A. Dreelin
The Annual Reproductive Cycle Of Oryzomys Palustris In A Virginia Tidal Marsh, Erin A. Dreelin
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The objectives of my study were to determine when the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) begins and ends reproduction during the year, if there are seasonal changes in litter size, and the weight at which sexual maturity is reached. Monthly samples of rice rats were trapped from May 1995 to May 1996 in Northampton County, Virginia. Rice rats were trapped with Fitch live traps, euthanized in the field, and brought to the lab for necropsy. Data from two other studies of rice rats in Northampton County were also examined. Potential breeders did not reproduce with equal intensity throughout the …