Adaptable craniometric variability of the house mouse in urban landscapes of Uzbekistan

Distinctions of the craniometric variability of the house mouse, Mus musculus L. from urban and wild ecosystems of Uzbekistan are considered. Differences of skull’s size and proportion across synanthropic population of the house mouse from Tashkent and two wild populations from Aidarkul lake and Saikhun protected area, Syurdarya river have been recognized. Also we found craniometric differences between animals inhabited various functional zones of a city according to an urbanization gradient. The rate of growth of skull of synanthropic populations is more in comparison with wild populations, and its proportions vary according of quickly growing type (a skull higher and wide, with less developed obverse part). Majority craniometric signs of house mouses inhabited outside of city buildings (parks) are considerably bigger than craniometric signs of mice inhabited in city constructions (multistoried buildings, one-storey houses, outhouses etc.). All it testifies significant degree of distinctions between the compared populations that has adaptive character, connected with overcoming of a stressful situation in the anthropogenic transformed habitats of urban landscapes of Uzbekistan.