Unraveling the cryptic life of the southern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous unicinctus squamicaudis (Lund, 1845), in a Neotropical wetland: Home range, activity pattern, burrow use and reproductive behaviour
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Arnaud Leonard Jean Desbiez, Gabriel Favero Massocato, Danilo Kluyber, Renata Carolina Fernandes SantosAbstractThe natural history of the southern naked-tailed armadillo Cabassous unicinctus squamicaudis is not well known. Here, we provide basic information about burrow systems, home ranges, activity, morphometric measures, and reproductive behaviour. We monitored 10 individuals through VHF telemetry and direct observations in the central Pantanal of Brazil for 24 months. Males (2.06 km2) had significantly larger home ranges than females (0.59 km...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Recapture of a banded Bechstein’s bat (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) after 16 years: An example of high swarming site fidelity
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Stefania Bologna, Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto, Ambrogio Molinari, Stefania Mazzaracca, Martina Spada, Lucas A. Wauters, Damiano Preatoni, Adriano MartinoliAbstractIn late summer and autumn, many species of hibernating temperate bats that form mixed-sex groups visit swarming sites (typically caves or mines). Swarming behaviour is mostly prevalent among bats of the genus Myotis and has a crucial role in maintaining gene flow among colonies that are socially isolated and thus demographically independent. This note reports on a recapture record of a Bechste...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Diurnal pattern of pre-weaning den visits and nursing in breeding pairs of captive dingoes (Canis dingo)
Publication date: Available online 5 July 2018Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Robyn Hudson, Heiko G. Rödel, Marise T. Elizalde, Gerard A. Kennedy, Bradley P. SmithAbstractThe period before pups are weaned represents a key developmental stage for canids that is directly related to the survivability of the pack. Yet our understanding of the role of the parents during this period when pups are confined to a den is rather limited. We sought further insight into this period by observing diurnal patterns of pre-weaning den visits and nursing behaviour in a captive population of dingoes (Canis dingo). We continuously video-m...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
“The Fox and the Cat”: sometimes they do not agree
Publication date: Available online 6 July 2018Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Davide Sogliani, Emiliano MoriAbstractThe diet of suburban foxes has been studied by analysing 200 scats collected monthly between July 2016 and July 2017, along fixed itineraries around two villages in central Italy. A significant seasonal variation in the diet was found. Fruits (berries) and coleopterans prevailed in the warm months and were replaced by feral domestic cats (mostly kittens) in the cold ones. The local overwhelming importance of the domestic cat in diet confirms the opportunistic feeding behaviour of red foxes, which may swit...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Multiple captures as indicator of social tolerance in a guild of terrestrial rodents
Publication date: Available online 6 July 2018Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Paola Bartolommei, Stefania Gasperini, Andrea Bonacchi, Emiliano Manzo, Roberto CozzolinoAbstractInformation on intra- and inter-specific social tolerance is useful to evaluate the role of social interactions at shaping population dynamics. This is particularly interesting for sympatric species with similar ecological requirements that can be potential competitors. In this light, we investigated multiple captures of Apodemus flavicollis, A. sylvaticus and Myodes glareolus constituting a guild of forest- and ground-dwelling rodents in central ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Effect of humans and pumas on the temporal activity of ocelots in protected areas of Atlantic Forest
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Rodrigo Lima Massara, Ana Maria de Oliveira Paschoal, Larissa Lynn Bailey, Paul Francis Doherty, Marcela de Frias Barreto, Adriano Garcia ChiarelloAbstractTemporal segregation may be one of the most effective mechanism adopted by a subordinate species to reduce competition with a dominant species. We hypothesized temporal segregation by ocelots as the main strategy of reducing direct contact with pumas and humans in Atlantic Forest protected areas. Through a standardized camera trap protocol, we measured the degree of activity overlap between oc...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Use of space and homesite attendance by Iberian wolves during the breeding season
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Helena Rio-Maior, Pedro Beja, Mónia Nakamura, Francisco ÁlvaresAbstractThe persistence of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes is conditional on the preservation of adequate ecological conditions during the reproduction period, when they may be particularly susceptible to human disturbance. However, little is known about the breeding behaviour of large carnivores in these landscapes, though this is important for conservation management. Here we describe the space use and homesite attendance patterns of wolves inhabiting humanised lan...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Understanding patterns of distribution and space-use by Ursus thibetanus in Khangchendzonga, India: Initiative towards conservation
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Tawqir Bashir, Tapajit Bhattacharya, Kamal Poudyal, Qamar Qureshi, Sambandam SathyakumarAbstractIncreasing rate of bear-human conflict and declining black bear population remains a conservation paradox throughout its distributional range. Sound information on the patterns and dynamics of bear occurrence seems prerequisite towards addressing this issue, particularly in sub-tropical and temperate ecosystems. We aimed to understand the patterns of space-use and distribution of Asiatic black bears Ursus thibetanus in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Re...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genetic relationships of wild boars highlight the importance of Southern Iran in forming a comprehensive picture of the species’ phylogeography
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Mohammad Reza Ashrafzadeh, Hamid Reza Rezaei, Olyagholi Khalilipour, Szilvia KuszaAbstractGenetic relationships between wild boar populations in the southern regions of Iran still remain unclear. Therefore in the present study our aim was filling this gap and providing preliminary knowledge about the phylogenetic status of Iranian wild boar based on two datasets of the mtDNA control region (the 402-bp and 605-bp segments as the first and second datasets, respectively). Altogether 1063 and 490 sequences were used in the shorter and longer sequenc...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genetic diversity distribution among seasonal colonies of a nectar-feeding bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) in the Baja California Peninsula
We examined the distribution of genetic diversity among colonies of this species and assess whether a population in Baja California Peninsula shows signature of historical demographic change. We expected low genetic differentiation, because individuals are highly mobile and share mating sites. We also predicted a demographic signature consistent with past climatic fluctuations. During the spring maternity season, we sampled 120 individuals of six colonies along a 450 km transect in the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Individuals were genotyped with eight nuclear microsatellite loci and 1739 bp of two mitochondrial m...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Spatial organization in wolves Canis lupus recolonizing north-west Poland: Large territories at low population density
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Robert W. Mysłajek, Maciej Tracz, Magdalena Tracz, Patrycja Tomczak, Maciej Szewczyk, Natalia Niedźwiecka, Sabina NowakAbstractMonitoring of the wolf Canis lupus is a demanding task as it lives in low densities, utilizes vast home ranges and disperses over large areas. These factors make obtaining accurate data about population parameters over the whole distribution area of the species impossible. Thus detailed local studies on socio-spatial organization are essential to calibrate information obtained over a larger area. We applied GPS/GSM tel...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Large-scale assessment of the presence of Darwin’s fox across its newly discovered range
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Eduardo A. Silva-Rodríguez, Erwin Ovando, Danilo González, Brayan Zambrano, Maximiliano A. Sepúlveda, Gabriella L. Svensson, René Cárdenas, Patricio Contreras, Ariel A. FaríasAbstractThe Darwin’s fox is one of the most threatened carnivores worldwide and was thought to occur in only two isolated areas. Recently this canid was found in the Valdivian Coastal Range, between the previously known populations, but other than their presence, little is known about these populations. Here we report the results of camera trap surveys conducted bet...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Understanding factors affecting the distribution of the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in South America: Spatial dynamics and environmental drivers
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Lorena Coelho, David Romero, Diego Queirolo, José Carlos GuerreroAbstractThe maned wolf is the largest canid in South America, and is currently classified as a near threatened species. Though once widely distributed in open habitats throughout the continent, the species’ current distribution is significantly reduced, especially in the southern part of its range. Species distribution models are useful tools that can reveal the causes contributing to the decline of the species, especially in the southern limit of its global distribution. In thi...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Exploring Rattus praetor (Rodentia, Muridae) as a possible species complex using geometric morphometrics on dental morphology
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Ardern Hulme-Beaman, Thomas Cucchi, Allowen Evin, Jeremy B. Searle, Keith DobneyAbstractTaxonomic uncertainties in the Rattus genus persist due to among-species morphological conservatism coupled with within-species environmental variation in morphology. As a result, this genus contains a number of possible cryptic species. One important example can be found in R. praetor, where morphological studies indicate it is a possible species complex. Genetic studies of R. praetor (limited to analysis of mitochondrial DNA) have been inconclusive, but do ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genetic polymorphism and structure of wild and zoo populations of the fosa (Eupleridae, Carnivora), the largest living carnivoran of Madagascar
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Géraldine Veron, Délia Dupré, Mia-Lana Lührs, Peter M. Kappeler, Luke Dollar, Julie Pomerantz, Steven M. GoodmanAbstractCryptoprocta ferox, or fosa, is the largest living endemic carnivoran of Madagascar, with presumably high dispersal capacity, and for which no broad scale phylogeographic study has been conducted to date. This species is considered “Vulnerable” by the IUCN and the subject of a captive breeding program; approximately 113 individuals are held in 57 zoos. The aim of this study was to examine the genetic structure and polym...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 11, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
