Variability of cranial characters in acclimatized sable (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Martes zibellina</Emphasis>) populations

Comparative analysis of metric and nonmetric variations of the sable skull in autochthonous and acclimatized populations was performed. In acclimatized sables, the skull is larger than in sables of the same origin from the Baikal region; however, they are smaller than animals of the autochthonous population. In nonmetric cranial characters, in one case, sables acclimatized in the Ob region are similar to autochthonous animals; in the other, they are similar to sables from the Baikal region. During 40 years after introduction, the population groups of acclimatized sables acquired phenotypic differences from both autochthonous sables dwelling in similar conditions and animals from the Baikal region of the same origin as acclimatizants.