Myotragus of the island of Majorca ("Myotragus pepgonellae") indicate that "Myotragus balearicus", in spite of being a browsing animal, descended originally from grazers. The closest related species to "Myotragus" are ovine, such as the extinct "Nesogoral" of the Plio-Pleistocene of Sardinia, the old "Gallogoral" of France (possible mainland ancestor of both "Myotragus" and "Nesogoral"), "Ovis" (present sheep and mouflon) and the mountain goats of Central Asia. The last ancestor common to "Myotragus" and "Nesogoral" arrived at Majorca and Sardinia around 6 million years ago, a time at which the Straits of Gibraltar were closed and the Mediterranean Sea was a small
Alternatives to animal testing development of non-animal test methods. Laboratory animals are not restricted to rats, mice, dogs, and rabbits, but also include fish, frogs and birds. Research into alternatives to replace these species is often neglected, although fish are the third most widely used laboratory animal used for scientific purposes in the EU. This is also the field where until now only two alternative tests exist worldwide: One guideline, OECD TG 236, and one guidance (OECD series on testing and assessment 126) are so far available. Euroecotox is a European network for alternative testing strategies in ecotoxicology. It was funded by the Seventh