Loading...

Table of Content

    20 May 1987, Volume 7 Issue 2
    A STUDY ON THE AGE AND POPULATION COMPOSITION OF THE GIANT PANDA BY JUDGING DROPPINGS IN THE WILD
    HU Jinchu
    1987, 7(2):  81-84. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (1144KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    It is very difficult to study the age and population composition of the giant panda, as they live in bamboo thickets, being a sparse population. In the Wuyipeng study area in the Wolong Natural Reserve, Sichuan. We created 7 trails through panda habitat. Along these trails we could carry out number estimation and collected fresh droppings of different individuals.The sizes of the droppings and 30 undigested bamboo stem fragments in the droppings were measured. The undigested bamboo leaf fragments were also measured at random. Thus the age of each animal could be determined. On the basis of the measurement and ecological information taken, the giant panda were put into 4 age-groups i.e., cub, juvenile, adult and senile.The determinations were approved by comparison between the droppings and bamboo fragments with those of the known aged giant pandas both in wild and in captivity.The age composition of the population of giant panda in Wuyipeng study area is relatively stable. The percentages of the giant pandas of different age groups show the characteristics of longlived animals.
    THE MEASUREMENT OF ULTRASONIC ATTENUATION AND SOUND VELOCITY IN THE MELON OF THE BAIJI (Lipotes vexillifer)
    HUA Minglong1, QIAN Zhende1, ZHOU Kyaia2, WANG Yuchu3, TANG Tianxue3
    1987, 7(2):  85-91. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (1150KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    This paper describes the measurement of ultrasonic attenuation and sound velocity in the melon slices of the Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) . The experiment showed that in the melon slices there were some points where the sound pressure attenuation coefficient were negative value or zero. It meant that the sound pressure increased instead of decreased when the sound wave propagated along these points. Connecting these points from one to another,we found two sound paths looked like two small sound channels and happened to coincide with the direction from the nasal plugs of the dolphin to the water in front of the head.
    SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION IN THE BODY SIZE OF THE YELLOW WEASEL(Mustela sibirica)
    SHENG Helin
    1987, 7(2):  92-95. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (329KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    Sexual dimorphism in the tody size of the yellow weasel shows great variation. According to measurements of 1285 specimens, the skull length of the females varied from 82.5-86.9% of those of the males.The tody weights of females that inhabit plains areas were 41.1-47.9% of those of the males. In mountainous forest of Lesser Hinganling mountain and Changbai mountain,the measurements were 52.8% and 59.4% of those of the males respectively. We postulate that the greater sexual dimorphism in tody size is due to evolutionary development of the species which dispersed from typical forest habitat to plains habitats. Our research, however,found individuals in habiting plains areas are always heavier and larger than those in the mountain forest. As plains areas are not always related to altitude, a comparison of the field samples showed that individuals in habiting Shanghai and Wuhan paddy areas in the Yangtze plains are larger and heavier in body size and in length of skulls than those in Fuyang of the Huai River plains areas in higher altitude. A corollary to explain this is that tody size is a function of prey abundance.
    STUDIES ON MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF MUSK GLANDULAR SAC OF MOSCHUS AND ON MUSK SECRETION AFTER VIGOROUS PERIOD
    BI Shuzeng1, ZHANG Zhiguo2, JIA Linzheng3, GUAN Qiang3, SONG Jianmin4
    1987, 7(2):  96-99. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (1305KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    After the vigorous musk-secreting period of Moschus is the copulation phase, in which the columnar glandular epithelium of the musk gland performs apocrine and discharges secretion. The cytoplasm ribosomes and rough endoplasmic reticulum are abundant. The highly dense granules,secretory vacuoles and lysosomes are very scarce. The sebaceous glands of musk sac perform holocrine in the vigorous period. These results show that glandular epithelium during the copulation phase is at the stage that protein is synthesized and secreted actively before the vigorous period. Therefore a part from the vigorous period, the Moschus also secretes a little musk. The above results provide a theoretical basis for frequent artificial musk secretion.
    A REVIEW OF THE SYSTEMATICS AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHINESE RED-TOOTHED SHREWS (MAMMALIA:SORICINAE)
    Robert S. Hoffmann
    1987, 7(2):  100-139. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (3984KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    This paper deals with the systematics and distribution of the Chinese Soricinae which includes 31 species. Most of these specimens from some museums in the world were examined, and provided a key to the species of Soricinae of China.
    HOME RANGE OF A.DRACO (BARETT-HAMILTON)
    WU Delin, DENG Xiangfu, WANG Guanghuan, GAN Zhengping
    1987, 7(2):  140-146. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (548KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    The home range study of Apodemus draco, which ran from May, 1983 to April, 1984 was carried out in a subtropical mountainous evergreen broad-leaf forest,Jingdong County,Yunnan Province. The trapping grid covered an area of 2 ha,and consisted of 200 points,10 m apart,with 1 trap at each point. Home ranges were estimated by mark and release trapping method,and this field work was done from 10th to 24th every month.Material consisting of a total of 3504 captures for 143 individuals was collected. Using exclusive boundary strip method, areas were calculated.with the increase of trapping times, home ranges became greater in size. So it's necessary to estimate trapping times for getting certain ranges at first.The results studied showed 10 trapping times were reasonable.The mean home range of male adults was 4520.6±491.4m2,larger than that of female adults(2390.5±171.6m2).Home range of juveniles was smaller than that of adults.With habitat variation encountered on the grid, one might expect mice to occupy some parts of the grid in preference to others. To test this idea, the trapping on the slop and the plain of grid were scored separately and discovered that during dry season from Nov. to May, the plain was more "prefered" by mice while the slope was avoided.Home ranges of the individuals at different sexes and ages often overlapped one another.The amount of overlap in home ranges of both sexes for adults at all seasons was investigated.Between male and female individuals, their overlap amount in May-Oct.was larger than that in Nov.-Jan.. There was a significant difference in overlap amount for both sexes between Aug.-Oct. and Nov.-Jan.. The changing of spatial relationships in the mouse population has relation to reproductive activity to certain extent,is not due to shift of home ranges.
    A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON BOTULIN MODEL C FOR KILLING PIKA
    SHEN Shiyin
    1987, 7(2):  147-153. 
    Asbtract ( )   PDF (554KB) ( )  
    Related Articles | Metrics
    We determined the virulence of botulin model C with no germ for Plateau pika, characterization of toxin and killing test in vast area. The botulin model C has a strong virulence to pika, the main pest in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Produced by rutine method, it is one hundred thousand MLD white mcuse/ml.The LD50 is 1.71μl/ kg(intubation oral) to pika. The dosage of botulin has a close relation to death time. Heavy dosage makes pika die rapidly while light slowly. After taking it, pika show immuno-reaction quickly, secondry poisoning will not happen. Make the botulin poison bait and it is palatable to pika. In natural environment it lose its virulence rapidly.We had deratization tests in Tie-bujia of Gonghe county, Gade county, Darlag county and Tongde county of Qinghai Province in autumn, winter and spring for two years.The test area added up to more than 13,334ha.By testing in large wild area, using the botulin poison bait to kill pika in whiter, it had a powerful poison effect, coming up to 98%.As a new rodenticide, it has many advantages of being convenient in use, in safety to man or animal, without environmental pollution and so on, and may be put into use to a great extent.