External and Cranial Characteristics of Mustela sibirica quelpartis on Jeju Island

External and Cranial Characteristics of Mustela sibirica quelpartis on Jeju Island

This study investigates the morphological and skull characteristics of the Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica quelpartis from the Jeju Island, South Korea. A total of 26 roadkill specimens (22 males and 4 females) were collected from October 2012 to April 2016. All collected specimens were examined for morphological characteristics, but only 19 specimens (16 males and 3 females) were in a good enough condition to process for skull measurements. This study showed no significant differences in ear length between male and female (p>0.05), and significant differences were found in head-body length, tail length (TL), and hind-food length (p<0.05). Both the male and female of M. s. quelpartis were larger in its external characteristics except for TL than M. s. coreanus living in the mainland of South Korea. M. s. quelpartis males have a smaller skull size than their female counterparts. In general, both male and female M. s. quelpartis showed external characteristics in line with the Island Rule. The findings of this study are important in order to shed more light on the evolutionary mechanism of small mammals living on the Jeju Island.