murids

-- In 1887, Herluf Winge described multiple fossil murids from the Brazilian Lagoa Santa caves, and among them was a species he called Scapteromys labiosus.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

In essence, it seems to be evolving toward an ichthyomyine-like condition, and it certainly possesses several of the characters that Voss (1988) listed as being correlated with amphibious habits in murids (dense and soft fur, enlarged hind feet, enlarged braincase, reduced visual and olfactory senses etc.).

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

I am the root of the tree of freedom; my murids are the trunk; and ye the branches.

Life of Schamyl And Narrative of the Circassian War of Independence Against Russia John Milton Mackie

If you like the idea of being steeped in the lore of natural history research, then the literature on African amphibious murids provides rich pickings.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

What makes the African taxa special is that, not only have they so far failed to become as well adapted for amphibious life as have murids elsewhere (like the ichthyomyines, or Hydromys or Crossomys), but they might also be doing something that murids elsewhere are not.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Australasia has an assemblage of amphibious murids that includes Hydromys (the beaver rats) and Crossomys (the earless water rat), plus a number of genera where experts disagree as to whether the animals are actually amphibious or not.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Noting that these genera possess particularly narrow, elongate feet, Kerbis Peterhans & Patterson (1995) showed that they formed a distinct cluster in terms of foot length: breadth, when compared with other murids.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

While ichthyomyines and ichthyomyine-like murids are speedy swimmers that dart rapidly away underwater when threatened, Kerbis Peterhans & Patterson (1995) reported observations (made by Jonathan Kingdon and Ivan Sanderson) indicating that the stilt-legged mice really do use their long, narrow feet like stilts, wading around in shallow water.

Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

Only thirty out of the one hundred murids of Hamsad Bey escaped from the mosque with their lives.

Life of Schamyl And Narrative of the Circassian War of Independence Against Russia John Milton Mackie

After that, also, there would remain the natural barrier of the swiftly flowing Koissu; and finally Akhulgo itself, beyond which no further retreat was thought of, as there he and all his murids would either conquer or die.

Life of Schamyl And Narrative of the Circassian War of Independence Against Russia John Milton Mackie