Mammalogy, Bio 413 Fall 2003

Instructor: Jim Taulman

Policies

Course Description – This course will cover classification and characteristics of the mammalian orders, as well as mammalian ecology, evolution, natural history, and behavior. Mammals of the Northern Great Plains will be emphasized.

Required Text – Mammalogy by Terry A. Vaughn, available in OLC bookstore.

Attendance – A student may be dropped after 3 consecutive absences and will automatically be dropped after 5 total absences.

Homework – Work assignments will consist of reading and being familiar with chapters in the textbook for each class period. You may be asked to describe your interpretation or understanding of concepts presented in the textbook chapters for a given class period.

Grading –

Lecture - Four lecture tests will be given and will total 80% of your grade in the course.

Report – You will be expected to select one particular mammal species and do a research paper presenting all the information on it that you can find. You may select a familiar local mammal and do a field experiment if you wish. Your report should be written in scientific style (Journal of Mammalogy format) with references to information sources cited in the text and should contain a literature cited section at the end that gives all publication data necessary for someone to find your source papers.

Introduction

Methods These headings may be combined if your paper is just a

Materials literature review

Results

Discussion

Literature Cited

Oral reports will be presented to the class on the last class day before the final exam. The written reports will be handed in at that time. You can present your report using any visual aids that you want, Powerpoint, posters, etc. Discuss your needs with me beforehand. The report will comprise 20% of your grade in the course.

A = 90 - 100

B = 80 - 89

C = 70 - 79

D = 60 – 69

F = 59 and below

Food – You can bring a drink into class but we won’t be eating in class.

Mammalogy, Bio 413 Chapters

August 28 Introduction, Policies, Mammalian Characteristics 1

Sept. 4 Mammalian Characteristics and Origins 2, 3, 21

Sept. 11 Prototherians, Monotremes, Marsupials 4, 5, 6

Sept. 18 Test #1, Eutherian placental mammals 7

Sept. 25 Insesctivores, Xenarthra 8, 9

Oct. 2 Chiroptera 10, 22

Oct. 9 Primates 11

Oct. 16 Test #2, Carnivora 12

Oct. 23 Cetacea, Sirenia 13, 14

Oct. 30 Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, Hyracoidea, Artiodactyla 15, 16, 17

Nov. 6 Rodentia, Lagomorpha 18, 19

Nov. 13 Test #3, Mammalian behavior 23

Nov. 20 Mammal ecology, zoogeography, and conservation 24, 25, 26

Nov. 27 Open

Dec. 4 Final test