Neal Woodman is a Research Zoologist located at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), Laurel, Maryland.
Neal Woodman is a U.S. Geological Survey Research Zoologist and Curator of Mammals stationed with the Biological Survey Unit in the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. His research focuses on morphology, diversity, taxonomy, and evolutionary relationships of mammals, with a particular emphasis on the Soricidae (shrews) and Tupaiidae (tree shrews), although his portfolio also includes work with rodents, bats, proboscideans (elephants and their relatives), and North American, Neotropical, and Asian faunas.
Professional Experience
2001–present Research Zoologist. U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD.
2001–2018 Curator of Mammals. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Survey Unit, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, National Museum of National History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
1997–2000 Assistant Professor. Department of Biological Sciences. East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA.
1995–1997 Assistant Professor. Biology Department, Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas.
1995–1996 Field Resource. Organization for Tropical Studies, San José, Costa Rica.
1994–1995 Adjunct Instructor. Science Division, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS.
1993–1994 Adjunct Instructor. Science Department, Longview Community College, Lee’s Summit, MO.
1992–1994 Research Associate. Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1992 Department of Systematics and Ecology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence
M.Phil. 1986 Department of Systematics and Ecology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence
M.S. 1982 Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City
B.A. 1980 Geology Department, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Association for Zoological Nomenclature, 2004 – present
Recording Secretary, 2004 – 2013
American Quaternary Association, 1983 – present
American Society of Mammalogists (Life Member), 1987 – present
Associate Editor, Journal of Mammalogy, 2011–2015
Biological Society of Washington, 1995 – present
Councilor, 2004 – present
Auditing Committee – June 2004, August 2005
Publications Committee, 2005 – present
Membership Committee (Chair), 2011 – present
New Chaucer Society, 2010 – present
Pennsylvania Academy of Science (Life Member), 2000 – present
Senate of Scientists, Smithsonian Institution, 2001 – present
Councilor for Affiliated Agencies, 2004 – 2006
Secretary, Oct. 2006 – Sept. 2007
Society for the History of Natural History
Washington Biologist’s Field Club, 2009–present
Student Research Awards Committee Chair, 2011–2020
Finance Committee, 2014–present
Honors and Awards
2018 Smithsonian S.T.A.R. Award for an informal workshop teaching mammal preparation and field data collection
2017 Smithsonian Institution Peer Recognition Award for long-term mentorship of undergraduate scientific interns
2007 Smithsonian Institution Senate of Scientists Distinguished Service Award for service as Secretary of the Senate in 2006–2007
PATRONYMIC HONORS
Cryptotis woodmani Guevara, 2023PATRONYMIC HONORS
Gliricola woodmani Price and Timm, 1993
Abstracts and Presentations
2018. “Musarañas como momias.” Djehuty Excavation Site, Luxor, Egypt, 29 January.
2016. “Digging the Soricidae: convergence in locomotory adaptations among shrews.” East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania, 2 December.
2016. “Bullet-proof Fish and Brindled Stamiters: John James Audubon’s Contributions to Constantine Rafinesque’s ‘Zoological Discoveries’ in the American West.” Wild Lives Symposium, Princeton University Libraries, 16 October.
2006. “What makes a mammal?” Science Department, Penn State University-Berks, Reading, Pennsylvania, 24 March.
2005. “Opportunities with the Smithsonian Research Training Program for undergraduates.” Honors Program, Penn State University, Berks-Lehigh Valley, Reading, PA, 17 January.
2002. “Patterns of evolution in the Cryptotis mexicana-group of small-eared shrews.” George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1 November.
2002. “Natural History of Costa Rica.” Penn State University, Berks-Lehigh Valley, Reading, PA, 22 March.
2000. “Systematics and biogeography of small-eared shrews of the New World genus Cryptotis.” U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., August.
1999. “Mammals of the Neotropical rain forests.” University of Aleppo and University of Damascus, Syria sponsored by US Information Agency, January.
1998. “Evolution and biogeography of shrews in Central and South America.” Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, November.
1998. “Composition and structure of shrew communities in Mexico and Central and South America.” Euro-American Mammal Meeting, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July.
1996. “Structure of the mammalian communities in tropical, lowland rainforest of Amazonian Peru.” Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, September.
1994. "Structure of the mammal community in a lowland, tropical rainforest in the Amazon Basin of Peru.” Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, April.
1993. "Mammals of the tropical rain forest.” Teacher’s workshop, University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Lawrence, Kansas, December.
1992. "Systematics and biogeography of the small-eared shrews, genus Cryptotis.” University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, October.
1992. "Biodiversity in a Neotropical lowland rain forest: the mammals of Cuzco Amazónico, Peru.” Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, Colorado, August.
1992. "Biological perspectives on environmental issues in Central America.” Forum on Environmental Issues in Latin America, Lawrence, Kansas, March.
1991. “Costa Rica and its fauna, seen through the eyes of a KU naturalist.” Latin American Studies Merienda, Lawrence, Kansas, October.
Science and Products
Skeletal indicators of locomotor adaptations in shrews
Environmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae)
Taxonomic boundaries in Lesser Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor)
Whence Orycteropus? The correct authorship and date for the generic name of the aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata, Orycteropodidae)
Ecogeographic variation and taxonomic boundaries in Large Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia tana Raffles, 1821) from Southeast Asia
A new species of tree hyrax (Procaviidae: Dendrohyrax) from West Africa and the significance of the Niger–Volta interfluvium in mammalian biogeography
The limitations of external measurements for aging small mammals: The cautionary example of the Lesser Treeshrew (Scandentia: Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor Günther, 1876)
A new addition to the embalmed fauna of ancient Egypt: Güldenstaedt’s White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811) (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
The relevance of a type locality: The case of Mephitis interrupta Rafinesque, 1820 (Carnivora: Mephitidae)
The green mole, Astromycter prasinatus T. M. Harris, 1825 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Talpidae): An origin story
Ancient Egyptian mummified shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) and mice (Rodentia: Muridae) from the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga, and their implications for environmental change in the Nile valley during the past two millennia
“Mostri Marini”: Constantine S. Rafinesque's names for three of Antonino Mongitore's Sicilian whales
Rafinesque’s Mammals
Survival of the Least Fit: Incidence of Physical Trauma in a Wild Mammal Community
How Mammals Move: Locomotory Function in the Soricidae
Biodiversity of North American Mammals
Diversity and Biogeography of Treeshrews
What Ancient Egyptian Shrew Mummies Reveal About Small Mammal Responses to Climate Change
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 74
Skeletal indicators of locomotor adaptations in shrews
The Soricidae (Mammalia: Eulypotyphla) comprises more than 450 species inhabiting a variety of habitats on five continents. As a family, shrews employ a variety of locomotor modes that incorporate ambulatory, fossorial, aquatic, and scansorial behaviors, illustrating an ability to exploit a variety of natural substrates and their associated resources. In this study, the association of skeletal mAuthorsNeal WoodmanEnvironmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae)
BackgroundAssemblages of mummified and preserved animals in necropoleis of Ptolemaic Period Egypt (ca. 332–30 BC) document some aspects of the ceremonial and religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, but study of these animal remains can also provide insight into the local environments in which the animals and humans lived.ResultsExcavations of the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the NilAuthorsNeal Woodman, Salima Ikram, Joanne RowlandTaxonomic boundaries in Lesser Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor)
The Lesser Treeshrew, Tupaia minor Günther, 1876, is a small mammal from Southeast Asia with four currently recognized subspecies: T. m. minor from Borneo; T. m. malaccana from the Malay Peninsula; T. m. humeralis from Sumatra; and T. m. sincepis from Singkep Island and Lingga Island. A fifth subspecies, T. m. caedis, was previously synonymized with T. m. minor; it was thought to occur in northerAuthorsM. M. Juman, Neal Woodman, A. Miller-Murthy, Link E. Olson, E. J. SargisWhence Orycteropus? The correct authorship and date for the generic name of the aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata, Orycteropodidae)
All else being equal, the principle of priority in zoological taxonomic nomenclature gives precedence to the earliest name for a particular taxon. Determining the origin of some late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century taxonomic names, however, can be vexing, particularly when the history of a name was never completely documented in contemporary synonymies. The authorship and date for OrycterAuthorsNeal WoodmanEcogeographic variation and taxonomic boundaries in Large Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia tana Raffles, 1821) from Southeast Asia
The Large Treeshrew, Tupaia tana Raffles, 1821, is a small mammal (~205 g) from Southeast Asia with a complicated taxonomic history. Currently, 15 subspecies are recognized from Borneo, Sumatra, and smaller islands, and many were originally differentiated based on minor pelage differences and small sample sizes. We explored intraspecific variation in T. tana using quantitative osteological data obAuthorsMaya M. Juman, Neal Woodman, Link E. Olson, Eric J. SargisA new species of tree hyrax (Procaviidae: Dendrohyrax) from West Africa and the significance of the Niger–Volta interfluvium in mammalian biogeography
Tree hyraxes (Dendrohyrax) are one of only three genera currently recognized in Procaviidae, the only extant family in the mammalian order Hyracoidea. Their taxonomy and natural history have received little attention in recent decades. All tree hyrax populations of Guineo-Congolian forests of Africa are currently treated as a single species, Dendrohyrax dorsalis, the western tree hyrax, but many oAuthorsJohn F. Oates, Neal Woodman, Philippe Gaubert, Eric J. Sargis, Edward D. Wiafe, Emilie Lecompte, Francoise Dowsett-Lemaire, Robert J. Dowsett, Sery Gonedele Bi, Rachel A. Ikemeh, Chabi A.M.S. Djagoun, Louise Tomsett, Simon K. BearderThe limitations of external measurements for aging small mammals: The cautionary example of the Lesser Treeshrew (Scandentia: Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor Günther, 1876)
Age is a basic demographic characteristic vital to studies of mammalian social organization, population dynamics, and behavior. To eliminate potentially confounding ontogenetic variation, morphological comparisons among populations of mammals typically are limited to mature individuals (i.e., those assumed to have ceased most somatic growth). In our morphometric studies of treeshrews (Scandentia),AuthorsNeal Woodman, Ananth Miller-Murthy, Link E. Olson, Eric J. SargisA new addition to the embalmed fauna of ancient Egypt: Güldenstaedt’s White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811) (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
The Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the Nile Delta of Egypt is considered to have been founded by the priest Djedhor, the Saviour, of Athribis (Tell Atrib in modern Benha) at the beginning of the Ptolemaic Period. Recent excavations here have revealed abundant avian remains from mummies dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Horus Khenty-Khety. Among the few mammal remains from the site are five speAuthorsNeal Woodman, Salima Ikram, Joanne RowlandThe relevance of a type locality: The case of Mephitis interrupta Rafinesque, 1820 (Carnivora: Mephitidae)
For more than 130 years, the type locality of the Plains Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius interrupta (Rafinesque, 1820) has been accepted to be along the upper Missouri River. The species’ description was based on a specimen observed by Constantine S. Rafinesque during his 1818 exploration of the Ohio River Valley, but Rafinesque never ventured into the animal’s geographic range west of the MissiAuthorsNeal Woodman, Adam W. FergusonThe green mole, Astromycter prasinatus T. M. Harris, 1825 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Talpidae): An origin story
Thaddeus William Harris described the green mole of Maine, Condylura prasinata (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Talpidae), in the July 1825 issue of the Boston Journal of Philosophy and the Arts, and this was considered the original description of the species throughout most of the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, taxonomists began instead to cite an earlier notice in the June 1825 issuAuthorsNeal WoodmanAncient Egyptian mummified shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) and mice (Rodentia: Muridae) from the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga, and their implications for environmental change in the Nile valley during the past two millennia
Excavation of Ptolemaic Period (ca. 309–30 BC) strata within Theban Tombs 11, 12, -399-, and UE194A by the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga (also known as the Djehuty Project), on the west bank of the Nile River opposite Luxor, Egypt, yielded remains of at least 175 individual small mammals that include four species of shrews (Eulipotypha: Soricidae) and two species of rodents (Rodentia: MuridaeAuthorsNeal Woodman, Salima Ikram“Mostri Marini”: Constantine S. Rafinesque's names for three of Antonino Mongitore's Sicilian whales
In 1815, the naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840) previewed three new species of cetaceans – Delphinus dalippus, Physeter urganantus and Oxypterus mongitori – that he intended to describe from Sicily based on illustrations in Antonino Mongitore's published work Della Sicilia ricercata nelle cose più memorabili (1742–1743). Although formal descriptions of the three species were neveAuthorsNeal Woodman, James G. Mead, Michael R. McGowen - Science
Rafinesque’s Mammals
The Challenge: Taxonomic nomenclature relies, in part, upon an accurate taxonomic history in order to establish the correct name for a taxon. Constantine S. Rafinesque (1783–1840), was a knowledgeable North American natural historian who was is responsible for describing and naming such iconic American mammals as the mule deer [Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817)] and the white-footed mouse...Survival of the Least Fit: Incidence of Physical Trauma in a Wild Mammal Community
The Challenge: It has been generally considered that a severe injury to a wild mammal that seemingly limits its ability to forage for food or escape predators will almost certainly lead to that individual’s demise. Inspection of skeletons of wild caught small mammals, however, has revealed a surprising number of individuals with healed fractures of the skeletal bones―including the primary...How Mammals Move: Locomotory Function in the Soricidae
The Challenge: The postcranial skeletons of mammals exhibit tremendous variation in form that partly relates to phylogeny (who a particular species is related to) and partly to locomotory function (how that species moves through its environment). Understanding the contributions of these two factors is important because phylogenetic characters assist in working out evolutionary relationships...Biodiversity of North American Mammals
The Challenge: Despite more than a century and a half of study, accurate understanding of the diversity North American mammalian species and the distribution of those species remains unrefined. Yet this understanding is essential for determining the conservation status of species, for mapping out potential disease reservoirs, and for understanding the response of species to habitat perturbation...Diversity and Biogeography of Treeshrews
The Challenge: Treeshrews (order Scandentia) are small-bodied mammals endemic to South and Southeast Asia. Since it was first described in 1820, the Common Treeshrew (Tupaia glis) has had a complex taxonomic history that has led to widely variable estimates of diversity, misidentification of populations, and general confusion regarding it and closely related species. One result is that T. glis has...What Ancient Egyptian Shrew Mummies Reveal About Small Mammal Responses to Climate Change
The Challenge: Ancient Egyptians mummified animals for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was as votive offerings to certain deities. Among the six species of shrews that have been identified as mummies, one is now extinct, one is no longer occurs in Egypt, and the remaining four have more restricted distributions in the country. One of the latter species also exhibits significantly... - Multimedia
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government