When Wildlife Biologists Study Small Animals, the Animals Are Trapped

Essay

When wildlife biologists study small animals, the animals are trapped and thenanesthetized to prevent discomfort to the animal. A study of the effect of theanesthetic, Isoflurane, on eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) resulted in thepulse data presented below. The biologists were interested in comparing the effectsof Isoflurane in two different seasons, winter and summer.
An initial analysis of the data revealed that it was reasonable to assume thedistribution of pulses for each season is approximately normal. It was also judged tobe reasonable to regard these samples as representative of the eastern gray squirrelpopulation.
a) Test the hypothesis of no difference in eastern gray squirrel mean pulse for winterand summer.
b) Do the data indicate that the mean pulse differs for the two seasons?
Provide anappropriate statistical justification using your response in part (a).