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Rodentia Morphology

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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

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Introduction

The order Rodentia includes over half of all modern mammals including over 2,200 species divided into 33 families (Yarto-Jaramillo 2015). This entry will discuss, generally, the unique morphological adaptations of rodents, with a particular focus on rats and mice due to their common usage in psychological and biomedical research.

Cardiovascular System

As mammals, rodents possess a four-chambered heart, a dominant left ventricle, and thinner right ventricle. Heart rate varies depending upon species (e.g., mouse ~350–700 beats/min and rats ~300–400 beats/min). The rodent heart is spherical to oval in shape and lacks a distinct intraventricular groove (Beutow and Laflamme 2018).

Dentition

Mammalian dental morphology provides clues for the animals’ diets and habitat, thus providing insight into the species’ behavioral ecology (Helder Gomes et al. 2013; Renaud et al. 2005). One notable morphological adaptation present in all rodents is the characteristic open-rooted and...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Behavior Core, Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Mystera M. Samuelson

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  1. Mystera M. Samuelson
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Correspondence to Mystera M. Samuelson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Texas Christian University, Forth Worth, USA

    Kenneth Leising

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Samuelson, M.M. (2021). Rodentia Morphology. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_751-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_751-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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