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The Common
shrew skull (left) is pointed and the teeth in the skull and lower jaws are red
tipped. Skull length 2 cms. Skull and
lower jaw of Field vole (middle) showing zigzag teeth pattern, length 2.2 cm. Skull of House mouse
(right), length 2.2cms., showing enamelled teeth.
The front molar has three roots compared to four in the Woodmouse. |
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Tooth
pattern of Bank vole. Voles have three teeth on each upper jaw. The
teeth edges of the Bank vole are rounded and the inner middle tooth
has two lobes. The Field vole (centre) has teeth which are more
sharply zigzag and the middle tooth has three lobes. The skull
of a Woodmouse (right). By removing the first tooth four roots
are clearly seen. The House mouse has three roots and the
Harvest mouse has five roots. |
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Until decimalization the
sixpence was a useful measure of shrews lower jaws. The pygmy shrew's
jaw measures exactly half a sixpence, or 9.5mm. The common shrew's jaw
was about two thirds diameter |
HEDGEHOG (above) and MOLE (below) together with Shrews are collectively known as
Insectivores, but unlike the Common and Pigmy shrews the Hedgehog and
Mole do not have the red tipped teeth. Their respective sizes of
skulls are 6cm and 4cm. |
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Left:
Pelvis bones of vole. The thin pubis (1) and concave posterior
margin (2) indicate a female. Right: Pelvis bones of mouse. The
short thick pubis (1) and rounded posterior margin with an angled
point at tip indicates a male. Figure 3 indicated the hip joint
socket. |
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The
WATER VOLE has a similar teeth patterns and skull shape as other voles
but is much larger. The 20p coin has a diameter 21.4 mm and the skull
is twice this size. |
Pelvis
bones of Mouse and Vole showing the femur socket. |
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CAN YOU
FIND?
Look at
the picture on the right of bones dissected from an owl pellet.
● Can you
find a large skull at the top of the picture - is it a Mouse or Vole?
● Can you
find a lower jaw bone belonging to this large skull?
● Can you
find lower jaw bones of shrews? There are 6 there.
● Can you
find any pelvic bones? |
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Small discarded pop bottle
left in the Forest which has an entrance big enough for common shrews
to enter but not get out. The contents show skulls, jawbones & pelvis. |
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| RABBIT
skull and lower jaws. Like field voles the teeth are grinding teeth to
deal with the grass diet. Size up to 8.5 cm. |
BADGER
skull showing prominent zygomatic arch (Cheek bone) The skull length
is 14cms. |
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BADGER
Meles meles.
This skull (left) found in the
forest on Cabin Plain has a large sagittal crest on the top of the head
denoting an old animal. Note how the lower jaw bone is jointed under the
cheek bone and (centre)
Note the
prominent sagittal crest denoting a very old badger.Front
view (right) of badger skull,
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| Fox skull
complete showing the large prominent canine teeth. Skull 15 cms. |
Fox
skull found near Sheepwater. Good view of the molars and canines. The
incisor teeth are at the front. |
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Recommended reading: Mammals of Britain - their tracks, trails and
signs (1973) by M J Lawrence & R W Brown (Pub. Blandford)
Tracks
and Signs of Birds of Britain and Europe (2003) by R W Brown, J
Ferguson, M J Lawrence and D Lees (Pub. Christopher Helm)
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