Vertebrate Zoology - Practical Course - V. V. Kuibida - 2007

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with the standards and curricula of higher education institutions in Ukraine, future biology and geography teachers undertake a mandatory field practice in vertebrate zoology during their second year of study. This fieldwork builds directly upon the theoretical knowledge acquired in the corresponding academic course. Immersed in natural habitats during the peak period of animal reproductive activity, students gain a deeper understanding of the local fauna, test various identification methodologies, and expand their knowledge of the ecology of both widespread and rare species. Successfully achieving these learning objectives requires a specialized practical guide. On the one hand, such a manual should provide methodological guidelines and standard identification keys for various taxonomic groups of vertebrates; on the other hand, it needs to offer a General Overview of faunistic complexes and species diversity within a specific region. Notably, special emphasis must be placed on rare and endangered species listed not only in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, but also in international red lists and conservation agreements. In modern higher education, this latter requirement is implemented in compliance with the criteria of the Bologna Process.

All of the aforementioned requirements are fully met in this practical guide, *Vertebrate Zoology: A Practical Course*. The book is the culmination of years of research on the vertebrate fauna of the Kyiv region conducted by a team of authors, drawing upon their extensive experience in teaching the course at university and leading field excursions in natural settings. The authors thoroughly examined a diverse range of scientific literature and methodological guides from both recent decades and the 19th–20th centuries. Portions of this material have previously been published by the authors in academic and pedagogical journals.

The authors are: Candidate of Biological Sciences V. V. Kuibida, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Geographical Sciences at Hryhoriy Skovoroda State Pedagogical University of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky; V. V. Lopatynskyi, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biology of the same institution; and Candidate of Biological Sciences H. H. Havrysy, Senior Researcher at the I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Over twenty years of conducting laboratory classes and field practices in zoology, the authors observed that students often struggle to memorize traditional academic descriptions of animals. Consequently, only a small fraction of this knowledge is ultimately applied in secondary school teaching or extracurricular educational work. An Analysis of the psycho-pedagogical aspects of how students perceive and practically apply animal descriptions reveals that, alongside standard identification keys, students would greatly benefit from the proposed manual. It deliberately highlights only those morphological or behavioral features that serve as the distinct “calling card” of a species—traits that are easily memorized and retained over the long term. Given that a university student is introduced to an average of 400 vertebrate species found in Ukraine, this approach is, in our view, both justified and essential.

The manual outlines the historical Formation of the animal world of the Pereyaslav region, highlights the current status of numerous common and rare vertebrate species, and analyzes the Impact of Anthropogenic factors on regional faunal diversity. The Pereyaslav region itself is defined historically as the territory comprising the Pereyaslav Uyezd of the former Poltava Governorate up to the early 20th century. Thus, it encompasses not only the modern Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi district, but also the Baryshivka, Boryspil (almost entirely), Yahotyn (eastern part), and Zhurivka (eastern part) districts of Kyiv Oblast. The southwestern boundary of the region stretches along the Dnipro River, while the northeastern border adjoins Chernihiv Oblast.

Existing works providing generalizing data on the wildlife of this rather vast region of Left-Bank Ukraine are now significantly outdated. The findings of numerous scientific studies on the fauna of Left-Bank Ukraine require verification and reassessment of their reliability, and they remain largely inaccessible to students and other interested readers. These partly include the works of M. Sharleman (*To the Fauna of the Pereyaslav Region*, 1919) and M. I. Havrylenko (*Birds of the Poltava Region*, 1929). Although the collective monograph *Nature of Kyiv Oblast*, published by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 1972, is quite comprehensive, it covers the entire Kyiv region—including Polesia—and follows a completely different structural design. Therefore, this manual will be valuable not only to university students, but also to secondary school teachers and pupils studying biology, geography, and local regional studies (Kyivshchyna studies). Furthermore, this work can be applied beyond the Pereyaslav region to other parts of Ukraine, as it features adapted vertebrate identification keys and introduces a novel approach to describing widely distributed species.

The manual comprises five thematic modules: "Fishes," "Amphibians," "Reptiles," "Birds," and "Mammals." Each module follows a standardized Structure: Materials and equipment; lesson plan; task Implementation; grading system for knowledge and skills; glossary of key terms used in identification; animal identification keys; an analysis of the current status of a given animal group in the Pereyaslav region; regional fauna in national and international conservation lists; and a LIST OF CITED and recommended literature.

Student performance is evaluated using a 100-point grading scale, in alignment with the criteria of the Bologna Process. The conversion of these scores into the traditional four-point grading system is structured as follows: 90 points and above — "Excellent", 75 to 89 points — "Good", 60 to 74 points — "Satisfactory", and below 60 points — "Unsatisfactory".

In compiling the identification keys, the authors reviewed an extensive body of literature and drew upon their own 20 years of field research experience. The bibliography of scientific and methodological sources utilized to construct the identification keys for each specific taxonomic group of vertebrates is provided at the end of every module.

The systematic arrangement and scientific Latin nomenclature of species follow: for fishes — Yu. S. Reshetnikov et al. (2003); for amphibians and reptiles — N. B. Ananjeva et al. (1998); for birds — L. S. Stepanian (2003); and for mammals — I. Ya. Pavlinov and O. L. Rossolimo (1987).

Ukrainian common names, with minor revisions by the authors, are adopted from: for fishes — O. P. Markevych and I. I. Korotkyi (1954); for amphibians and reptiles — V. I. Tarashchuk (1959); for birds — H. H. Havrysy (2003); and for mammals — I. I. Dzeverin (2004 (a, b)).

The manual includes photographs of animals taken by V. V. Kuibida during field practices.