Browsing by Author "Scott, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie)"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Allometric trends and locomotor adaptations in the Bovidae. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 179, article 2([New York] : American Museum of Natural History, 1985) Scott, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie)"This study examines two factors which affect the dimensions of the postcranial skeleton of Bovidae: physical constraints of increasing size and adaptations to particular habitats or modes of locomotion. Total limb lengths, lengths of proximal bones, diameters, and areas of long bones all scale more or less predictably with body size. All lengths scale with negative allometry, whereas areas and diameters vary from slightly negative to positive, depending on the bone. Comparisons of exponents of the scaling relationships to expectations of geometric and elastic scaling theory show that bovids do not scale geometrically, and in some dimensions seem to scale elastically. However, elastic factors cannot be the sole physical constraint governing scaling since many dimensions differ significantly from elastic theory. In addition, some limb elements show changes in gross morphology which violate the assumptions of elastic theory. Length of radius, metacarpal, and metatarsal do not scale predictably with body weight; adaptations to particular habitats are more important in determining lengths of these bones than is body size. Species found in open or grasslands habitats tend to have long limb elements relative to body weight, those in mountainous regions have relatively short limb elements, and those in woodland regions have intermediate length distal elements"--p. 199.Item The interrelationships of higher ruminant families : with special emphasis on the members of the Cervoidea. American Museum novitates ; no. 2893(New York, N.Y. : American Museum of Natural History, 1987) Janis, Christine M. (Christine Marie), 1950-; Scott, Kathleen M. (Kathleen Marie)"We analyze the interrelationships of the higher (Pecoran) ruminants, and suggest possible relationships between these families and the various genera of the polyphyletic assemblage 'Gelocidae.' We also review the developmental processes of the cranial appendages of the living horned ruminant families, and conclude that giraffid ossicones, bovid horns, and cervid antlers cannot be considered to be homologous with each other. The characters that have been used in the past and in this paper to distinguish pecoran families are discussed and evaluated. Within living pecoran families the Giraffidae are the most primitive, and the Moschidae and Antilocapridae are conjoined with the Cervidae in the superfamily Cervoidea, with antilocaprids being closer to cervids than are moschids. The Moschidae includes Moschus, the extinct European genera Dremotherium, Micromeryx, and Hispanomeryx, and the North American blastomerycids. The Cervoidea includes the primitive extinct Eurasian genera Eumeryx and Rutitherium, and (more closely related to the other cervoids) the extinct African genus Walangania. The grouping Eucervoidea is proposed for a clade within the Cervoidea containing the Antilocapridae, the Cervidae, and the extinct families Palaeomerycidae and Hoplitomerycidae (which are deemed as closer to the Cervidae than are the Antilocapridae). The Palaeomerycidae contains the Old World genera Palaeomeryx, Amphitragulus, possibly also Prolibytherium, and the North American dromomerycids. The Hoplitomerycidae contains the European genera Hoplitomeryx and Amphimoschus. The European genus Triceromeryx remains as cervoid incertae sedis. A superfamily Giraffoidea is proposed to include the Giraffidae, the extinct family Climacoceridae, and possibly also the extinct African genus Propalaeoryx"--P. 2.