Comparative Analysis Of The Morphological Characteristics Of Fur Of Mustela Sibirica Manchurica In Three Distribution Regions

Habitat selection of wildlife is restricted by food abundance, concealing condition, plant succession status and physiological conditions of the animals. The research of the habitat selection is of great significance for the assessment of environment quality, prediction of the habitat capacity and the protection and utilization of animal resources.Forty eight Siberia weasels (mustela sibirica manchurica Brass) were sampled from Tonghe, Qiqihaer Zhalong of Heilongjiang province and Jiaohe of Jilin province in winter of 2005 , eight individuals for each sex and each sampling site. Macroscopic morphological characteristics, such as the color, area, length, density, and thickness of fur and microscopic characteristics, such as hair diameter, hair lenth, medulla diameter, absent medulla proportion of tip and root of hair, and proportion of each scale type to hair length were measured. Comparisons were performed among different individuals, sexes and seasons (winter and summer) and among different site of the body as well, including the head, middle back, middle abdomen, hip and middle tail. Meanwhile, we collected data of 6 climate factors: temperature, moisture, rainfall, time of sunlight and wind speed of the corresponding habitats from 2003 to 2005. Correlations between climate factors and fur characteristics were tested by using statistic software SPSS 13.0. Results indicated: (1) There are significant differences among winter weasels of Tonghe area, Zhalong area and Jiaohe area in macroscopic morphological characters, such as downhair length of middle back, downhair diameter of hip, medulla diameter proportion of downhair of middle back, no-medulla proportion of guardhair of meddle back and hip, and each part of characters of hairs is connected with its function. (2)The tiptop connection between downhair length of middle back, downhair diameter of hip, medulla diameter proportion of downhair of medium back, no-medulla proportion of guardhair of meddle back, no-medulla proportion of guardhair of hip of Siberia weasels and climate factor sort by magnitude as follows: precipitation(0.998), sunlight per-day(0.984), temperature(0.969), wind speed(0.960), precipitation(0.993), precipitation(0.995), wind speed(0.947), temperature(0.999), wind speed(0.999), wind speed(0.994). (3) Strategically, the Siberia weasels prefers to choose habitat with abundant food, prediting conditions and fine climate conditions.