Rodentia 62 - Marsupials

Rodentia 62 - Marsupials

Rock guinea pig
Flower bats

Contents:

Cover story: Marsupials

They are among the most original and peculiar mammals and are known to almost everyone: Marsupials, which populate the Australian continent in numerous species. For most people, the kangaroo symbolises this subclass of mammals. However, there are many more species, not all of which have a distinct pouch. And marsupials are also found outside Australia: possums have conquered the American continent and can even be found in North America. However, all species have one thing in common: marsupial offspring are born at a very early stage of development and grow up outside their mother's body. Dear readers, you can find out more about the unique and multifaceted world of marsupials in the cover story of the next issue of RODENTIA Exotics.

In our latitudes, bats feed on insects, which they catch at night using echolocation. Among the leaf-nosed bats native to South and Central America, however, there are a wide variety of food specialists: numerous species prefer fruit, others hunt small vertebrates and frogs. The small subfamily of flower-nosed bats, on the other hand, specialises in nectar and pollen from particular flowering plants and pollinates the so-called bat flowers while feeding. In the next issue of RODENTIA exotics, our author Ralph Simon will report on the very special way of life of these flying mammals and the unique adaptations of bat flowers.

Expedition RODENTIA: Eight years ago, RODENTIA author Björn Jordan came across an interesting project on the internet: on a farm in north-eastern Brazil, rock guinea pigs (Kerodon rupestris) are being scientifically observed as part of a reintroduction project. As rock guinea pigs were also part of his own collection of animals, this marked the beginning of an intensive exchange aimed at learning more about the animals’ living conditions. In March of this year, Björn Jordan finally fulfilled a dream and visited the ‘Mokos’ in their natural habitat. He describes his impressions of this very special journey in the next issue of RODENTIA Exoten.

Internal
Magazine
Dates & tips

Photo story
Into the bag
Ralf Sistermann

Biology and keeping
"Down under" in the garden. Bennett's wallabies as pets in Germany
Jens Sadewasser

Keeping and breeding
Rarities with charm. Keeping and breeding of Kowaris
Ralf Sistermann

Biology
"Itjaritjari" and "Kakarratul". Bizarre riddles from the realm of marsupials
Anne Weber

Biology and keeping
American marsupials. Biology, keeping and breeding
Christian Neumann

Biology
Symbol of the marsupials. Kangaroo and wallaby
Jens Sadewasser

Keeping and breeding
The mask of Zorro. Keeping desert dormice
Ralf Sistermann

Portrait
The Albino Coati (Nasua nasua)
Ralf Sistermann

Behaviour
Bite or smash? Imitation and tradition in wild zebra mongooses (Mungos mungo)
Dr. Corsin A. Müller & Dr. Michael A. Cant

Reportage
Beaver country. On the way to the beavers in Emsland
Dr. Andreas Schüring

Biology
Flower bats. Hummingbirds of the night
Dr. Ralph Simon

Attitude
Under the ground. From the construction of an outdoor enclosure for prairie dogs
Ralf Sistermann

Health
Eye diseases in hedgehogs
Prof. Dr. Michael Fehr

Expedition RODENTIA
Visiting the land of the rock guinea pigs. A journey to the north-east of Brazil
Björn Jordan

Health
When Skunk and Co. are ill. With exotic animals to the vet
Ralf Sistermann

Bookworm
Classifieds
Subscription & Service
Internet forums for small mammal keepers
Preview

Animal & Honest
Lemmings, lemmings everywhere
Christian Ehrlich