Abstract: Coat characteristics of seasonal molting mammals reveal significant seasonal variation as an adaptive strategy to cope with seasonal climate changes. However,the adaptive significance of such morphological variation has not yet been addressed. We analyzed seasonal variation of microscopic indices of hair and skin of adult Siberian weasels (Mustela sibirica manchurica Brass) from the Tonghe forest area of the Xiaoxing’anling Mountains,Heilongjiang. Skins from 8 males and 8 females were collected from summer (July to September),and an additional 8 male and 8 females skins were collected from winter (November to December )(i. e. ,n = 32). Morphological indexes included length and width of guard hair, cuticular scale patterns of guard hair,external and cross-section form of guard hair,and medullary characteristics. We found significant differences between winter and summer coat hair density,hair length,and proportion of medulla-absent part of guard hair. We discuss the adaptive mechanism of this seasonal variation.

Key words: Characteristics, Fur, Seasonal variation, Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica)

关键词: 黄鼬, 毛皮, 性状, 季节差异