. Biology of the Heteromyidae. Heteromyidae. PANDESERTIC RODENT ECOLOGY 673. Fig. 28.—The bipedal desert-adapted dipodid, Jaculus jaculus, represents a genus that is strongly convergent morphologically (and in some species, ecologically) on North American Dipodomys. (Photo: M. Andera) Saharan species, however, such as the her- bivorous browsing members of the rodent family Ctenodactylidae {Ctenodactylus, Massoutiera) or the hyrax family Procavi- idae {Heterohyrax, Procavia) have no equivalents in the North American deserts, although they do show many ecological sim- ilarities to other rodent a
. Biology of the Heteromyidae. Heteromyidae. PANDESERTIC RODENT ECOLOGY 673. Fig. 28.—The bipedal desert-adapted dipodid, Jaculus jaculus, represents a genus that is strongly convergent morphologically (and in some species, ecologically) on North American Dipodomys. (Photo: M. Andera) Saharan species, however, such as the her- bivorous browsing members of the rodent family Ctenodactylidae {Ctenodactylus, Massoutiera) or the hyrax family Procavi- idae {Heterohyrax, Procavia) have no equivalents in the North American deserts, although they do show many ecological sim- ilarities to other rodent and non-rodent rock- dwelling mammals found in other semiarid or arid regions (Gouat and Gouat, 1987; Grenot, 1973; Mares and Lacher, 1987). Other Saharan gerbils {Tatera, Taterillus) and the murid Steatomys are more like North American desert peromyscines or neotomyines than heteromyids in their food habits, although Desmodilliscus braved from the Sudan may be another perognathine equivalent (cf. Ayyad and Ghabbour, 1986; Happold, 1975;NowakandParadiso, 1983; Rosevear, 1969). Namib/Karroo-Kalahari.—This arid re- gion (Fig. 23) is composed of three separate deserts (, Meigs, 1953; Petrov, 1976; Werger, 1986). The Namib is a narrow, cool, coastal desert lying between 17° and 35°S latitude (Walter, 1986). Causative factors in the formation of this desert are similar to those of the Atacama/Peruvian desert sys- tem of South America—latitudinal place- ment, mountain ranges forming barriers to easterly winds, and cold ocean currents im- mediately offshore. The Namib is extremely arid (yearly precipitation ranges from 15 to 43 mm, Petrov, 1976) and contains exten- sive dune systems supporting little vegeta- tion (Fig. 30) (Seely, 1978); fog and dew are important sources of water in the desert for both plants and animals. Other habitats support sparse scrub vegetation, low grass cover and, in more mesic seasonal river-. Please note that these images are extracted from scann
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