Syllabus      Powerpoint Presenations       Announcements     Sample ?s       

Syllabus

Instructor: Dr.Christopher M. Ritzi, phone: (432)837-8420,

Office: Rm208 WSB, Office hours TW 3:00-5:00, F 10:00-11:00 or by appt., Email: critzi@sulross.edu

Suggested Texts:

            The Mammals of Texas (2004) by Schmidly

                  Illustrated Key to Skulls of Genera of North American Land Mammals (1992) by J. Knox Jones

            The Mammals of North America (1981) by E. Raymond Hall

            or other good natural history/key to mammals of the area.

Date                                                  Topic

Jan 19              Gross comparative anatomy of mammals (This bone goes WHERE?)

Jan 26              Marsupials (Order Didelphimorphia and others) and Order Insectivora

(moles and shrews)

Feb 2               Order Rodentia (rats)

Feb 9               Order Rodentia (more rats)

Feb 16             Walk trapline on Hancock hill to practice trapping and handling

Feb 23             Order Carnivora (things with big teeth)

Mar 2               Lab Practical I

Mar 9               Spring break (my advice: Have fun and don’t get arrested in Mexico)   

Mar 16             Specimen preparation demonstration)

Mar 23             Orders Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, and Lagomorpha (critters eaten by the

                                    ones with big teeth, aka. Grazers

Mar 30             Food habits (how to analyze poop or other nasty substances)

Apr 6               Order Chiroptera /  night netting trip later

Apr 13             Parasites (both endo- and ecto-, with emphasis on collection and

preservation techniques)

Apr 20             All the other orders (Weird stuff you won’t see here, but should know

about… around 18 orders)

Apr 27             Lab Practical II and Mammal Collections Due

Grading:

            This lab will be based off of the traditional 90-100, A; 80-89, B; 70-79, C; 60-69, D; 0-59, F grade breakdown.  The grade value of assignments will be as follows below.  Details of Mammal collection will be given later in the semester, along with instructions for field notes, catalogues, and other means of assessing class participation.  Participation will also be partly based on taking active roles in the laboratory and the field.

            8 – 10 pt Quizzes

            1 – 50 pt Mammal collection

            1 – 70 pt Allotment of participation credit

            2 – 100pt Practical Exam

            400 Total possible points

This lab is designed to be factually information, with a degree of structure to convey content-based data to the class.  It is also intended to be hands-on, student-active, and a relaxed learning environment.  The goal of this course is to learn the local mammals by mainly sight recognition, as well as being familiar with common mammals in other parts of the country.  Toward achieving this goal, weekly quizzes will be held throughout the semester to aid in learning the taxonomy of each group as we cover them, and to aid in preparation for the Practical Exams.

            As with most course containing field components, the course outline and topics covered are subject to change or rearrangement as dictated by weather or whim.  There are currently several trips/activities which I hope to take this semester indicated above, as well as a weekend trip pending class interest.  Other addition trips for collecting and/or fun may be planned at a later date based on class activity.

Laboratory Powerpoint Presentations

Lab 1 - Bones and Teeth

Lab 2 - Marsupials and Insectivores

Lab 3 - R.O.U.S's (rodents of unusual size)

Lab 4 - Rodentia Part Deu

Lab 5 - Things with Big Teeth

Lab 6 - Skinning demo

Lab 7 - Grazers

Lab 8 - Parasites

Lab 9 - Bats

Announcements

9-Feb    This week's rodent lab does not have run keys in my notes, due to time constraints.  please use your lab texts to aid in identifying skins and skulls.

16-Feb    Remember, we have bumped the lab practical up to next week, Feb 23.  The lab will be open to study tonight, Friday and Monday during the day, and over the weekend for the highly motivated (or panicked student).

Sample Questions

Exams

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