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Howard P. WhiddenAssistant Professor of BiologyEast Stroudsburg University |
Research
Research InterestsMy research interests lie in two primary areas: |
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Mammalian morphology and systematics I am particularly interested in members of the mammalian order Lipotyphla (moles, shrews, hedgehogs, tenrecs, golden moles, and solenodons). |
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Field studies of local mammals I regularly perform field studies of local mammals for taxonomic, biogeographic, and conservation purposes. This includes inventories of natural areas and surveys of poorly known species. |
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Current Research Projects | ||
| Sexual dimorphism in West Indian shrews (Nesophontes) West Indian shrews are known only as subfossils from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Cayman Islands. When first described, specimens appeared to fall into two size classes, and this difference was interpreted as sexual dimorphism. However, size dimorphism is unusual in insectivorans, and biologists subsequently proposed other explanations for the presence of two size classes, including temporal variation. I am using cranial measurements and locality records for over 1500 Nesophontes specimens from Hispaniola to assess competing hypotheses about the cause of the apparent dimorphism. |
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| The evolution of locomotor specializations in moles My Ph.D. dissertation was a study of the myology and phylogeny of the Talpidae. My phylogenetic analysis indicated that the fully fossorial moles are monophyletic and that the two lineages of moles with aquatic habits are basal. This conclusion led me to a study of the evolution of talpid locomotor specializations. I found several lines of evidence that suggest that talpids became specialized for aquatic habits before becoming fossorial. I am extending my work on talpid anatomy and phylogeny to a study of the evolution of talpid locomotor specializations. |
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