It was a surprising thing to see on the otherwise lifeless peak of a South American volcano — a mouse, specifically a yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, or Phyllotis xanthopygus, scurrying among the rocks on the summit. The find was especially startling because the mouse was living at an elevation of 22,100 feet, a higher elevation than […]
FSU researcher: Family of rodents may explain how some groups of animals become so diverse
How did a single species of rodent invade South America and then quickly branch off into 350 new species? The answer is simple — the rodents were able to move quickly across the continent unencumbered by geographic boundaries that can’t be easily crossed such as an ocean. FSU Professor of Biological Science Scott Steppan and […]
