Study on Burrow Structure Characteristics of Chinese Pangolin Based on Burrow Casting
The Chinese pangolin(Manis pentadactyla)is a typical nocturnal burrowing mammal,with a very low direct ob-servation rate in the field,and its burrow is important material for ecological research.However,there are few quantitative studies on the burrow structure characteristics of Chinese pangolin,and the verification of burrow classification criteria(rest-ing burrows,foraging burrows)has not been reported.In order to explore the morphological structure differences between the resting burrows and the foraging burrows of Chinese pangolin,four foraging burrows and three resting burrows aban-doned by Chinese pangolins were selected for model casting,and 3D digital models were constructed by 3D scanning tech-nology.The results show that the burrow entrance all face west and the tunnel diameters are generally larger than burrow entrance diameters.The average length of the first section of the burrow tunnel,total length of the burrow,bending angle of the burrow tunnel(the first bending from burrow entrance),and the volume of the burrow were 147.5 cm,322.7 cm,130.0°,and 0.0732 m3,respectively.There were structural differences between the resting burrows and foraging burrows.The entrance to the resting burrow faces further north,its tunnel and entrance diameters,first section length,total length,and the volume of the resting burrows were larger than that of the foraging burrows.The tunnel bending angle and the num-ber of termite nests of the foraging burrows were larger than that of the resting burrows.The study results accurately quanti-fied the burrow structure of the Chinese pangolin,verified the accuracy of the burrow category classification criteria,and provided a theoretical basis for further research on the ecology of the Chinese pangolin burrows.
Chinese pangolin(Manis pentadactyla)Burrow animalBurrow structureBurrow casting3D scan
万方数据
维普
