Vivid biofluorescence discovered in the nocturnal Springhare (Pedetidae).

Biofluorescence has been detected in several nocturnal-crepuscular organisms from invertebrates to birds and mammals. Biofluorescence in mammals has been detected across the phylogeny, including the monotreme duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus), marsupial opossums (Didelphidae), and New World placental flying squirrels (Gluacomys spp.). Here, we document vivid biofluorescence of springhare (Pedetidae) in both museum specimens and captive individuals-the first documented biofluorescence of an Old World placental mammal. We explore the variation in biofluorescence across our sample and characterize its physical and chemical properties. The striking visual patterning and intensity of color shift was unique relative to biofluorescence found in other mammals. We establish that biofluorescence in springhare likely originates within the cuticle of the hair fiber and emanates, at least partially, from several fluorescent porphyrins and potentially one unassigned molecule absent from our standard porphyrin mixture. This discovery further supports the hypothesis that biofluorescence may be ecologically important for nocturnal-crepuscular mammals and suggests that it may be more broadly distributed throughout Mammalia than previously thought.

Ethnic Composition of Schools and Achievement Motivation.

An investigation of the relationship between achievement motivation and ethnic composition of schools was undertaken in order to determine if the integrated experience would facilitate achievement motivation among black students. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule was administered to male and female high school students: 20 black and 37 white students attending an ethnically mixed school, 29 students attending a segregated school with 100% black enrollment, and 49 students attending a segregated all white school. Scores on the need for achievement subscale revealed a significant interaction (p < .01) of school system by race which indicated that students in the mixed school were more similar in their scores and closer to the national norms for that subscale than students in the segregated schools. In addition there was a main effect for race (p < .0001) which indicated that black students had significantly higher scores than white students regardless of the type of school system. There was no main effect for school system. A tentative conclusion proposed that the scores of integrated black students represented more realistic aspirations than did those of segregated black students.