OU Scientist Unveils Insights on Highest Dwelling Mammal
University of Oklahoma professor Naim M. Bautista is studying Andean leaf-eared mice, which have been identified as the highest-dwelling mammals on Earth. The research aims to understand how these rodents physiologically adapt to extreme cold and low-oxygen environments at altitudes above 6,000 meters.
Why it matters
Understanding these evolutionary adaptations provides broader insights into how mammals survive in extreme, high-altitude environments.
NORMAN, Okla. - Mammals inhabit a variety of environments on Earth, but few are able to withstand the hostile conditions of low oxygen and freezing temperatures characteristic of extreme elevations. Thanks to the recent discovery of a resilient mouse species living at elevations exceeding 6,000 meters above sea level, University of Oklahoma professor Naim M. Bautista, Ph.D., is working to uncover how these rodents have adapted their physiology to cope with such conditions.
Purely scientific reporting on biological research.
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