Research Specimen,

what stories could you tell us, 

if we'd only look.

 

Not only do the various researchers have stories to tell, but also the specimens that they study. UAM 143684 has a story to tell, just as all 143,095 specimens in the mammal collection at the UA Museum do. UAM 143684, the poster child chosen for these specimens, is a Hoary Marmot; a climate sensitive species that the mammals department has ongoing research with. By collecting various measurements, tissues, and other data, we can begin to learn their stories.

 

There are a bunch of different things that the mammals department has looked into using these marmots.

 

Members associated with the UA Museum mammals department have used these marmots to help identify new parasite species, describe new mammal species using genetics, and more. As a specific example, Hoary Marmots are believed to breed once per year post-hibernation (around May). Thus, the males' testicles are scrotal during the breeding season, and abdominal the rest of the year. However, a significant number of scrotal testes have been found in males collected by the mammals department in late July to early August, far outside of the usual breeding season. Though this is a new discovery, it may be a sign that longer growing seasons may lead to more than one reproductive event per year. Changing climate is changing the marmot's ecology. Hoary Marmots are a climate sensitive species as they are an alpine species (though research done by the mammals department at the UA Museum has actually found them at sea-level throughout their range). Still, they are likely to be heavily impacted by the loss of tree-less zones in their alpine climate.

 

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We invite story submissions from all science writers and we have amazing volunteers who provide feedback prior to publication. We'd love to read what you are developing!

To submit your writing or black-and-white sketches

Science on the Move Collection
The UAF Department of English
1747 S Chandalar Drive Gruening Suite 850
Fairbanks, AK 99775
Email: uaf-lion@alaska.edu