Feeding behaviour of Tympanoctomys barrerae (Yepes, 1941), a strongly desert-adapted rodent

GIANNONI STELLA; BORGHI CARLOS; OJEDA, RICARDO

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

Año: 2000 vol. 46 p. 117 - 121

0140-1963

Tympanoctomys barrerae is a monotypic octodontid. This species is endemic tothe desert area of central-western Argentina where it is restricted to salt basinsand sand dunes. T. barrerae shaves off the epidermis of Atriplex leavesbefore consuming them. This reduces electrolyte intake. Like two other unrelatedsalt-flat dwelling rodents, Dipodomys microps and Psammomys obesus, T.barrerae uses the lower incisors to scrape the hypersaline tissue away fromAtriplex leaves, only it spends less time in the shaving process. This differencecould be accounted for by a peculiar anatomical structure: two bundles ofstiff hairs on either side of the mouth that may be functionally similar toa second set of lower incisors.