MAMMALS of the PACIFIC WORLD T. D. CARTER - J. E. HILL - G. H. H. TATE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 1945 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - NEW YORK
Copyright, 1944, by T. DONALD CARTER, JOHN ERIC HILL, and G. H. H. TATE All rights reserved — no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewerwhowishestoquotebriefpassagesin connection with a review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper.
First Printing A paper bound edition of this book for limited distributionwas published by The Infantry Journal under the title of "Animals of the Pacific World." PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Foreword "^^ When "Pearl Harbor" made Americans conscious that the Pacific Ocean was about to become a vast theatre of military operations, it was apparent that many of the critical areas were only places on the map to most people. Few persons knew anything about the appearance of the war areas, their geographical significance, or their wildlife and its environment. Most of the fighting was developing among islands, and there are thousands of these in the Pacific. Also there are great differences existing between various island masses, as for example the Aleutians and the Solomons.
Some of the islands are the home of unique animal life, to be seen nowhere else in the world. If military personnel were concentrated on certain of these islands it might mean that needless destruction of irreplaceable wildlife would result unless the military and others were told something about the natural history of the Pacific.
The American Committee for International Wild Life Protection resolved, in the winter of 1942, that something should be published to inform our armed forces about the wildlife they would encounter in the far reaches of the world's greatest ocean. Of course it was realized that when men are at war nothing in the natural environment would weigh against human life. But where conservation of the fauna and flora placed no obstacle before military expediency, it would be easier to arouse support for conservation if the public had available some simple account of the wildlife of the Pacific. The initial idea of the Committee expanded, and nine cooperating institutions eventually embarked upon the larger concept of an over-all picture of the Pacific World which will depict for the enlisted man and his
VI FOREWORD relatives a great variety of data. This is to be done in a series of handbooks.
So little has been written about the mammals on many of the Pacific islands that it is difficult for the layman to find information. By a fortunate coincidence the American Museum of Natural History has had a long and continuous interest in the south Pacific. Through the Archbold Expeditions it has done extensive field work in New Guinea and has acquired specimens from other islands. Because of this background, the authors of "Mammals of the Pacific World" — all of them in the Department of Mammals of the American Museum — are well qualified for their present undertaking. Dr. Tate has the special distinction of having observed and collected mammals in New Guinea.
Within the scope of the "Pacific World" the mammals of three continents are encountered. North America has contributed to the fauna of the Aleutians ; from continental Asia come the mammals of Japan, Formosa, Sumatra, and other islands situated on the continental shelf ; and finally Australia has supplied with characteristic representatives such islands as New Guinea and the Solomons. To complicate matters, some of the islands received their mammals as waifs on natural rafts or as passengers in the primitive craft of the aboriginal peoples. The whole topic of the distribution of the mammal life of the Pacific is intensely interesting and challenging to the imagination. When one learns that a creature has established itself on an island only after the operation of the laws of chance over a period of hundreds of thousands of years, he can appreciate the significance of conservation for that animal. All of the mammals of the area are interesting. Some are obviously useful as food ; some are dangerous and not to be provoked without hazard. Many of these animals such as bear, tiger, and kangaroo are already familiar to Americans, but a number of others peculiar to the area need to be described for an American audience. This book attempts to provide an intro-
FOREWORD VU ductory account of the most salient facts of origin, life history, and distribution. The field is so extensive, however, that no one island or no single species can receive very exhaustive treatment. A synoptic list with a greater number of species, but with less descriptive matter and discussion, has been prepared by Dr. Tate and published by the American Museum under the title "A List of the Mammals of the Japanese War Area." It is divided into four parts :
Part 1. New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, New Hebrides, and other remote south Pacific groups.
Part 2. The Greater Sunda Islands (Sumatra, Java, Bali), with Nicobar and Andaman Islands.
Part 3. The Lesser Sunda Islands (Lombok to Timor), the Moluccas, Celebes.
Part 4j. Borneo and the islands of the South China Sea. These are short booklets and were planned primarily for the Medical Services as an aid in knowing the mammals of an island and something of the possibilities of mammals as disease carriers.
Never before, to my knowledge, have data on the mammals of so great a section of the Pacific been brought within the covers of a single book. It is hoped that a wide circle of readers will find "Mammals of the Pacific World" instructive, entertaining, and useful. Certainly the authors have labored mightily to bring the facts before the public, and if a better understanding will help to promote conservation of wildlife in these remote places, a great deal will have been accomplished. Harold E. Anthony, Chairman and Curator Department of Mammals American Museum of Natural History New York City 7
Table of Contents PAGE Foreword ^ Introduction ^"^ I. Characteristics and Classifications of Mammals 1 Distinctive Characters of Mammals 1 Teeth 2 Limbs 5 Classification and Scientific Names 7 II. Species of Mammals of the Pacific Area 11 Egg-laying Mammals: Duckbills, Spiny Anteaters. Order Monotremata 11 Pouched Mammals or Marsupials. Order Marsupialia 15 Insectivores. Order Insectivora 37 Flying Lemurs. Order Dermopter 44 Bats. Order Chiroptera 45 Apes, Monkeys, Lemurs. Order Primates 63 Flesh-eaters. Order Carnivora 79 Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses. Order Pinnipedia 100 Scaly Anteaters. Order Pholidota 107 Gnawing Mammals or Rodents. Order Rodentia 108 Rabbits and their Allies. Order Lagomorpha 123 Whales and Porpoises. Order Cetacea 126 Dugongs, Sea Cows. Order Sirenia 136 Elephants. Order Proboscidea 137 Even-toed Ungulates. Order Artiodactyla 139 Odd-toed Ungulates. Order Perissodactyla 151 ix 58455
X CONTENTS FAGS III. Distribution of Mammals in the Pacific Area 155 Origin and Evolution of Mammals 155 Evolution of Environments 156 Continental and Oceanic Islands 157 Range and Dispersal of Mammals 160 The Passage of Natural Barriers 161 Establishment of Species on Islands 163 Archaic Mammals Preserved on Islands 163 Biological Regions 164 Faunas of the Pacific Islands 166 IV. Conservation of Mammals 181 Need for Preservation 181 Collecting and Study of Specimens 182 Glossary 185 Alphabetical Index-Checklist of the Islands 189