CHROMOSOME SET AND ECOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ADAPTATION OF MUSKRAT (ONDATRA ZIBETHICA L., 1766) IN NEW CONDITIONS OF ACCLIMATIZATION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS

On the ecology and acclimatization of the muskrat in the North Caucasus works are few, brief, and have a narrow local character. These studies relate to the Western and Eastern parts of the region. This article presents the results of a study of the karyotype, morphometric indices of the body and skull, some features of the biology and ecology of the muskrat (Ondatra zibethica L., 1766) in the conditions of the Central Ciscaucasia. Until recently it was believed that this species had not adapted to these conditions, but the material we collected shows that the muskrat has taken root and independently maintains its numbers. Ondatra zibethica L., 1766 is found here from the steppe belt (100-150 m above sea level) to the forest-steppe (350-500 m above sea level) inclusive. In a comparative analysis of morphometric measurements of the skull of Ondatra zibethica L., 1766 from the Central and Eastern Ciscaucasia, reliable differences were found for 7 of the 10 parameters studied. Also, in the muskrat from the forest-steppe belt of the Central Ciscaucasia (the environs of the urban settlement of Alagir), a secondary constriction was found near the centromere of the 19th pair of autosomes; otherwise, the chromosome set is similar to the original description.