Can hair width and scale pattern and direction of dorsal scapular mammalian hair be a relatively simple means to identify species?

Abstract

Hair width and surface scale patterns (morphological characteristics) of hair from 21 selected species representing seven orders of mammals from the western United States were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The orders studied were Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Chiroptera, Didelphimorphia, Insectivora, Lagomorpha and Rodentia. Hair width, scale length and height, scale patterns, and scale position in relation to the shaft were used to characterize differences in morphology for both the species and orders. Specimens were taken from the dorsal scapular region and the centres of hair shafts of mature mammals were used for images. A key (identification chart) was created to characterize each species. These studies suggest that morphological differences in guard hair and underfur could provide a useful atlas for forensics, taxonomy and archaeology.

Keywords:

• hair characteristics
• identification chart
• mammal hair
• scanning electron micrographs
• western United States mammals

Acknowledgements

We thank Betsy Spackman for her help in conducting scientific library searches and Michael Standing for assistance with electron microscopy.