Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine
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Emiliano Mori
und
Caterina Ferrari
Abstract
In this study, we investigated on the existence of personality in the crested porcupine in Central Italy by measuring variation and repeatability of three behavioural traits. Porcupines were captured through metal traps located around and in the immediate surroundings of the burrows. Then, they were manipulated and set free. Capture and handling were the experimental contexts where we measured exploration, proactivity and aggressiveness of each individual. Our results provided evidence for consistent inter-individual differences in the measured traits, with a high value of individual repeatability in aggressiveness and proactivity. The positive correlation between traits suggest the existence of a behavioural syndrome, with some individuals more aggressive and active with respect to others.
Acknowledgements
Andrea Sforzi, Anna Bocci, Fiora Meschi, Maddalena Mattii and Giorgia Romeo helped in performing the captures of crested porcupines. Two anonymous referees greatly improved the first draft of this manuscript.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: The authors would like to thank Prof. Sandro Lovari for the financial support and precious recommendations.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- First wolves in Luxembourg since 1893, originating from the Alpine and Central European populations
- Ecology
- Spatial ecology of lions in a small, semi-fenced park surrounded by dense human populations: the case study of Nairobi National Park, Kenya
- Activity patterns of jaguar and puma and their main prey in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape (Bolivia, Peru)
- The status and ecology of the sand cat in the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area, Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia
- The spatio-temporal co-occurrence of free-ranging common fallow deer and domestic caprines on the island of Rhodes, Greece
- Seasonal consumption of insects by the crested porcupine in Central Italy
- Season and habitat affect diversity, abundance and reproductive state of small mammals near Lake Abaya, Ethiopia
- Biogeography
- Peninsular effect on species richness in Italian small mammals and bats
- Small rodent communities (Muridae) in Gabonese savannas: species diversity and biogeographical affinities
- Ethology
- Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- A new species of Cynomops (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from the northwestern slope of the Andes
- Overlooked diversity in Argentine caviomorph rodents: the need to increase field efforts
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- First wolves in Luxembourg since 1893, originating from the Alpine and Central European populations
- Ecology
- Spatial ecology of lions in a small, semi-fenced park surrounded by dense human populations: the case study of Nairobi National Park, Kenya
- Activity patterns of jaguar and puma and their main prey in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape (Bolivia, Peru)
- The status and ecology of the sand cat in the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area, Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia
- The spatio-temporal co-occurrence of free-ranging common fallow deer and domestic caprines on the island of Rhodes, Greece
- Seasonal consumption of insects by the crested porcupine in Central Italy
- Season and habitat affect diversity, abundance and reproductive state of small mammals near Lake Abaya, Ethiopia
- Biogeography
- Peninsular effect on species richness in Italian small mammals and bats
- Small rodent communities (Muridae) in Gabonese savannas: species diversity and biogeographical affinities
- Ethology
- Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- A new species of Cynomops (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from the northwestern slope of the Andes
- Overlooked diversity in Argentine caviomorph rodents: the need to increase field efforts
