The structure and function of the intergenic noncoding genome (repeatome) whether “selfish” and “junk” or “biochemically functional and regulatory” is still hotly debated, despite the mounting empirical and theoretical evidence supporting the regulatory role, provided by transposable elements, and…

In the African mole-rat family (Bathyergidae), species show both year-round and seasonal breeding patterns even though all species inhabit regions with varying seasonal rainfall patterns (a well-known selection driver of seasonal breeding). This short review suggests a novel hypothesis explaining…

In our study, we analyzed two poorly known aspects of thermal biology in subterranean rodents, the African mole-rats, that being daily energy expenditure and development of thermoregulation in juvenile mole-rat using the social Mashona mole-rat, Fukomys darlingi from southern Malawi. We performed…

Although the biology of common mole-rats of the genus Fukomys has been intensively studied over the last three decades, some lineages of this speciose group of subterranean rodents remain virtually unknown to science. One of these poorly studied species is the Central African…

Known today by a single species only in the Horn of Africa, rodents of the Heterocephalus genus displayed through Neogene times a larger geographical distribution and a higher diversity. Here we present the state of art of the knowledge of the described fossil Heterocephalus species and follow the…

African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) have intrigued gerontologists since extreme longevity and intraspecific divergence in ageing rates were demonstrated in some of their representatives. Although many ageing-related papers on African mole-rat species have been published in the last 20 years, a…

To understand the evolutionary preconditions of extended longevity, one can compare the key life-history events and age related changes in body conditions in related species with different ecological speciation. Cricetid rodents possessing a wide spectrum of adaptive forms with different life…

We used five polymorphic microsatellite loci to examine patterns of genetic variation within and among colonies of coruros (Spalacopus cyanus) at three localities in central Chile. Detailed comparisons of genetic variation at two locations, Los Maitenes in the northern portion of the species’ range…

Adult skulls of Crocidura russula and Sorex araneus have been studied by μCT and by histology. The virtual representations of these skulls in ventral view display the middle ear structures very clearly. It is evident that the ectotympanic rings, which frame the tympanic membrane, are significantly…

The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) is often tested between species from open and closed habitats. However, the acoustic differences are rather small and thus the evidence is ambiguous. We tested the AAH between subterranean and surface-dwelling species living in very different acoustic…

The retina of the fat dormouse Glis glis was studied histologically. Opsin immunolabeling identified an unusually dense population of rod photoreceptors (ca. 600,000–780,000/mm²) and a low-density population of L cone photoreceptors containing the longwave-sensitive (LWS) cone opsin, with a shallow…

The magnetic compass systems of birds and mammals differ in their functional modes and are based on different physical principles: The inclination compass of birds is not sensitive to polarity; it is light-dependent; with the direction indicated by spin-chemical processes in the photo-pigment…

Studies of learned magnetic compass orientation by C57 BL/6 mice were carried out to determine if responses to magnetic cues were disrupted by exposure to a very low-level (1–2 nT) 1.46 MHz radio frequency field. Findings show that exposure to the same intensity of the 1.46 MHz RF in training and…

A long-term issue when studying magnetic orientation is the replicability of the experiments conducted in different laboratories. Attempts to replicate experiments have failed many times. After our previous study where we successfully found magnetoreception in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)…

Our knowledge about magnetoreception in mammals remains limited. Among rodents, magnetic compass orientation has been documented in four subterranean mole-rats and four epigeic (i.e., active above ground) species. While it is well established that the magnetic compass of mole-rats is…

It is believed that the high activity of sun with eruptions causing instability of the magnetic field of the Earth cause various health problems in sensitive people, including such events as heart attack. We analysed the daily frequency of patients admitted with heart attack to the Cardiocentre of…

Automated data collection methods, such as using GPS collars and animal-borne cameras, represent an efficient way of data collection and may be instrumental in the research of animal orientation, including magnetoreception. In this study, we designed a wearable dog action camera (DAC) system for…

The Callewaert’s mouse (Mus callewaerti) is shown as an ancient lineage of the African endemic subgenus Nannomys. Described in 1925 as a large-bodied species with proodont (forward pointing) incisors, it was long known only from a handful of localities in Angola and southern Democratic Republic of…

A list of 139 specimens of bats belonging to 32 species of eight families originating from Zambia, housed in the collection of the National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic, is presented in a systematical review. The species lists are complemented by comments on distribution and morphometry data. The…

Alexander James Edward Cave (1900–2001) was a superb anatomist who extensively improved our knowledge of rhinoceros anatomy and osteology; he also published several studies on the osteology of other groups of mammals and one conservation-focused study about numbers of Ceratotherium cottoni in…

Shrews look rather similar at first sight, but a closer look reveals many different specializations according to different lifestyles. In this study, we took a closer look on the auricle of shrews. To reveal morphological adaptations, we analysed the inclination of the outer ear in relation to the…

The paper surveys the Quaternary (MN17–Q4) fossil record of Cricetinae in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with particular attention to the current glacial cycle (Q4: Vistulian–Holocene) and immediate history of extant taxa. Vast majority of records were reexamined using standardized techniques of…

In total, 616 reliable records (C1, C2 category sensu SCALP) of wildcat occurrence in Bohemia were collected and analysed in 11 monitoring seasons, “wildcat years” (WCY), 2010–2021. Camera-trapping data accounted for 95% of the dataset, the rest of the records were verified by the genetic analysis…

Between 2001 and 2016, 31 zoological excursions of the Department of General Zoology of the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) took place in South Bohemia (Czech Republic), mainly in the the Šumava Mountains south of Sušice. Under the leadership of Professor Hynek Burda and his colleagues, more…