Thread by @PKurnath

P NEXT: From the Tricksy Taxonomy Division, 2nd-seeded RED WOLF versus 3rd-seeded MOUNTAIN TAPIR #Sweet16 #2021MMM

This battle was a group effort by @sexchrlab, @TanisBP, @StoneLab_ASU & yours truly! [gif is of four men jumping in air together, from Anchorman movie, with "Best Team Ever" text at top] #DreamTeam #2021MMM

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU Red Wolf has some majorly tricksy taxonomy, which has made protecting this critically endangered, small-ish & slender (27.5kg, 125 stoats) member of genus Canis challenging #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM iucnredlist.org/species/3747/1…

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU To prevent extinction, remaining wild Red Wolves were captured in TX & LA during 1970s to start a breeding population & descendents of 14 individuals were reintroduced to NC #PlotTwist: new DNA data shows Red Wolves are still in LA! #2021MMM tinyurl.com/4nj3zzz6

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU Genomic analyses of three Red Wolves from the reintroduced population show high proportions of coyote gene flow into the Red Wolf (48-88%, vonHoldt et al 2016) #2021MMM advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/7/e1…

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU But a new report suggests the tricksy taxonomy of Red Wolf will not be resolved until genome sequences from ancient red wolves (meaning before coyote expansion & potential inbreeding) are analyzed (NASEM, 2020) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/csmsx575

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU Mountain Tapir has the appearance of elephants, hippopotamuses & even pigs, but is actually a smaller (150kg, 681 stoats) odd-toed ungulate (mammalian Order Perissodactyla, includes horses & rhinos) #Tricksy #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU Unfortunately, habitat fragmentation & loss as well as hunting pressures have resulted in wild population declines of Mountain Tapir, leading to their Endangered status by @IUCNRedList #2021MMM iucnredlist.org/species/21473/…

@sexchrlab @TanisBP @StoneLab_ASU @IUCNRedList But we have more to learn! For example, although unique parasitic trypanosomes were detected & their DNA characterized in Tapirs, the intermediate hosts are not always known & could include ticks & leeches (Acosta et al 2013) #2021MMM ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

#Sweet16 #RecapStats: Red Wolf enjoyed a meal of Giant Golden Mole & scared away Tarsier, while Mountain Tapir outlasted Tree Shrew & Jaguarundi #ForeverSleep #StinksofOcelot #2021MMM

Tonight we find both competitors in the southeastern corner of North America during the 13th century, prior to the European colonization of the Americas, when Red Wolves lived among the Cherokee people & called "wa ya" #AdvantageTeamWolf #2021MMM tinyurl.com/u7pb4hpd

Mountain Tapir feels at home in the hilly grasslands & shrublands of North America, so begins for forage for grasses, daisies & other leafy greens (Downer 2001) #NoHabitatAdvantage #TapirsGottaEat #2021MMM tinyurl.com/8zjdhu9h

OmNomNoming on plants is not TOTAL KNOCK OUT #PlantCarnage. Tapir's digestive tract aids the germination of many plant seeds, & Tapir are thought to be mutualistic seed dispersers! (Downer 2001) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/c2sjrnnb

Suddenly, Tapir raises its proboscis and sniffs the wind.... it recognizes the smell of a canid predator somewhere nearby. In its home turf, packs of bush dogs can kill Tapir! #2021MMM

Not too far off the Red Wolf is out hunting. Spring can be especially hard on Red Wolves, as it is harder to track prey amid new vegetation. Luckily though, Red Wolf has caught the scent of prey and moves in! #2021MMM

Now hearing the wolf, Tapir tries to quickly escape by sliding down a hill on its rump. Tapir have bare patches of skin on their behinds reportedly from sliding down slopes & wearing the fur away! (Pardilla et al. 2010) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/4nd7utmv

Red Wolf, however, is hungry and in hot pursuit! Wolf quickly courses even with the Tapir, looking for an angle to safely do some damage. #2021MMM

With nowhere to go, the Tapir falls back on its go-to move against bush dogs: stomp the floor and make frequent loud whistles! (Wallace et al. 2002) #2021MMM

Red wolves most frequently eat far smaller mammals than Tapir, (Philips et al. 2003). Deciding this loud and odd looking animal could actually do damage in a fight, the Red Wolf moves on in search of more familiar prey. #2021MMM tinyurl.com/2ncavtbv

MOUNTAIN TAPIR INTIMIDATES RED WOLF!!!!! #UpsetCity #Sweet16 #2021MMM