Questions tagged [rodents]

Mammals of the order *Rodentia*, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws.

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When mice move their lips, they always purse them. Why?

This is common in many rodents I see, from rats to squirrels, and it even appears in a variety of humans. The topside and underside flesh spurts out. These movements appear to be involuntary. What is ...
Jackson's user avatar
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If massive animals live longer, why do humans with gigantism die younger?

What I mean is humans suffering from gigantism (type 1 neurofibromatosis, Marfan syndrome, X-linked dominant acro-gigantism, et cetera) rarely live more than 5 decades (50 years). The same can be said ...
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How do rats open a walnut?

What techniques do rats use to open a walnut? What are the traces they leave in nature? I have a book on traces that wild animals leave in nature, but it only explains squirrels (splitting the walnut ...
Sir Cornflakes's user avatar
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Mystery rodent in Winnipeg

I spotted this rodent in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on September 6, 2020. It is about 10 inches long. What is it?
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Is there any (practical) way to control a rodent population without predators?

It seems that New York has tried a number of ways to reduce their rat population, recently with fall traps. Unless they can kill all of the rats at once, it seems that this will just free up resources ...
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Is there benefit of use of red light over dim white light when interacting with rodents in the dark phase?

I've come across some "percieved wisdom" that rats and mice do not "see" red visible light and so use of this wavelength will allow humans to interact with rats in their active nocturnal phase without ...
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Small mammal identification

Small skull found in Alberta, Canada. Do not know the region. Skull is about 17 mm in length. Trying to identify the species, narrowed it down to most like a species of vole but can't figure out which ...
Chase's user avatar
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Why do Guinea Pigs chirp / sing?

Ok, so this appears to be quite a mystery. Me and my girlfriend have 2 Guinea Pigs, 1 male and 1 female. My girlfriend once picked up the female one and took her outside into our garden. The Guinea ...
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Which agricultural crops attract rodents?

Are there any data on rodent populations per acre of different types of agricultural crops?
Matthew Piziak's user avatar
5 votes
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How do rodenticides with delayed effect work?

Most modern rodenticides are claimed to cause death no earlier than several days after ingestion. That's quite strange - once a chemical was ingested it will be absorbed in the digestive system and ...
sharptooth's user avatar
2 votes
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Why do rodents' teeth continue to grow?

Why do rodents' teeth continue to grow? Enamel formation and/or root formation continue throughout rodents' lives. What's the mechanism that causes this?
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Why was polyploidy not lethal in certain octodontid rodents?

As discussed in Why is polyploidy lethal for some organisms while for others is not?, polyploidy is normally lethal in mammals. However, two species of Octodontidae (South American rodents), are ...
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How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating?

How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating? It seems like they would constantly be scratching each other.
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