Size structure of the sable in the Lake Baikal region: A decadal analysis over the last sixty years

Abstract

The skull sizes of eight Lake Baikal sable populations (n = 1859) were studied. It was noted that six of them constitute a homogeneous group of the small forms of the species. The decadal dynamics of 17 craniometric characters was analyzed. An increase in the skull size in the second half of the 20th century, common for both males and females, was revealed. The average growth trend over a decade was determined for the condylobasal skull length;-it amounted to 0.15 mm in males and 0.11 mm in females. It was established that decadal deviations in sizes are, in most cases, not significant statistically; they are of an oppositely directed nature and do not disturb the species stability.