Social structure and reproduction of long-tailed porcupine (Trichys fasciculata)
-
Aoi Matsukawa
,
Abdul H. Ahmad
Abstract
We studied the social structure of long-tailed porcupine (Trichys fasciculata) in the tropical rainforest in Sabah, Borneo Island, Malaysia via direct observation assisted by radio-tracking and camera-trapping at burrow entrances. We identified and observed seven individuals in the study area, of which five were radio-tagged. Analysis of their burrow use, home range, and behaviour strongly suggested that five of the observed individuals formed a family group consisting of an adult male–female pair and their three offspring, two of which were born during the study period. The family members used the same burrow site almost every day, and their home ranges largely overlapped. In contrast, the other two individuals never used the burrow sites of this family group. The adult male–female pair was maintained for at least 18 months and reproduced twice during the study period. They had a litter size of one, and the inter-litter interval was estimated to be 11 months. During these two reproductions, the previous litter stayed in the natal family group as a sub-adult after the next juvenile was born. Direct paternal care, such as grooming the juvenile, was also observed. Their low reproductive potential should be considered in conservation efforts.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Wild Life Department for supporting our research. Many thanks go as well to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, Rainforest Discovery Centre and Sepilok Jungle Resort. We also thank Dr. Z. Z. Zainuddin, Dr. H. Nigel and SOUR staffs for their help in handling animals for radio-tracking. We also thank Dr. N. Itoh, Dr. M. Nakamura, Dr. Y. Takasaki and anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions to improve the manuscript. This study was supported by JSPS Core-to-Core Program, A. “Tropical Biodiversity Conservation Focusing on Large Animal Studies” Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University (CCTBio) and JSPS International Training Program for Young Researchers “Primate Origins of Human Evolution (HOPE)”.
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©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- The conservation status of a poorly known range-restricted mammal, the Nimba otter-shrew Micropotamogale lamottei
- Ecology
- Contribution to the knowledge of the rare “Famatina tuco-tuco”, Ctenomys famosus Thomas 1920 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)
- Social structure and reproduction of long-tailed porcupine (Trichys fasciculata)
- Feeding strategy of two rodent species in a set-aside field and its influence on alimentary tract morphometry
- Feeding ecology of the marsupial Thylamys macrurus (Olfers 1818) (Mammalia, Didelphidae) in woodland patches of Cerrado, central-western Brazil
- New trophic link and potential feeding area of dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) in mid latitude waters of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean
- The use of acoustic detectors for assessing bat species richness and functional activity in a South African National Park
- Noninvasive age estimation in rodents by measuring incisors width, with the Zaisan mole vole (Ellobius tancrei) as an example
- Difficulty in visual sex identification: a case study on bank voles
- A survey of the vulnerable Cuvier’s gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) in the mountains of Ait Tamlil and Anghomar, Central High Atlas of Morocco
- Ethology
- Into the light: atypical diurnal foraging activity of Blyth’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus lepidus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) on Tioman Island, Malaysia
- Biogeography
- Persian leopard and wild sheep distribution modeling using the Maxent model in the Tang-e-Sayad protected area, Iran
- First record of Little Indian field mouse, Mus booduga (Gray 1837) (Rodentia: Muridae), from cold arid region of Leh-Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- Partial and complete leucism in two Abrothrix species (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from central Chile
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- The conservation status of a poorly known range-restricted mammal, the Nimba otter-shrew Micropotamogale lamottei
- Ecology
- Contribution to the knowledge of the rare “Famatina tuco-tuco”, Ctenomys famosus Thomas 1920 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae)
- Social structure and reproduction of long-tailed porcupine (Trichys fasciculata)
- Feeding strategy of two rodent species in a set-aside field and its influence on alimentary tract morphometry
- Feeding ecology of the marsupial Thylamys macrurus (Olfers 1818) (Mammalia, Didelphidae) in woodland patches of Cerrado, central-western Brazil
- New trophic link and potential feeding area of dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) in mid latitude waters of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean
- The use of acoustic detectors for assessing bat species richness and functional activity in a South African National Park
- Noninvasive age estimation in rodents by measuring incisors width, with the Zaisan mole vole (Ellobius tancrei) as an example
- Difficulty in visual sex identification: a case study on bank voles
- A survey of the vulnerable Cuvier’s gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) in the mountains of Ait Tamlil and Anghomar, Central High Atlas of Morocco
- Ethology
- Into the light: atypical diurnal foraging activity of Blyth’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus lepidus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) on Tioman Island, Malaysia
- Biogeography
- Persian leopard and wild sheep distribution modeling using the Maxent model in the Tang-e-Sayad protected area, Iran
- First record of Little Indian field mouse, Mus booduga (Gray 1837) (Rodentia: Muridae), from cold arid region of Leh-Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- Partial and complete leucism in two Abrothrix species (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from central Chile
