Cranial growth of captive bred common voles (Microtus arvalis)

• Main Author: Balčiauskienė, Laima
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Lithuanian; English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Captive bred common vole; Microtus arvalis; Growth; Skull; Common vole
• Online Access: http://lmavb.lvb.lt/LMAVB:ELABAPDB5734557&prefLang=en_US

The cranial growth of the common vole (Microtus arvalis) was investigated using 406 captive bred individuals aged from 12 to 724 days. All 17 of the measured skull characters were sex-dependent, with males on average being larger than females. It was found that the steady growth of M. arvalis continued for about 10 months, with body weight reaching ca. 45 g and body length nearly 12 cm, while the growth ofmost skull characters lasted up to 12-14 months and that of some dental characters, i.e., the length of the first upper molar or incisor width, during the whole life of an individual. Correlations of mandibular and maxillary skull characters with body weight and especially body length were quite strong, determining up to 70% of variation in the latterparameters. Animal age was best correlated with dental parameters - the length of molar Mi and incisor width across both upper incisors.