Volume 82, Issue 5

In southwest China, three major rivers, the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween, flow down from the Tibetan plateau, creating a complex topography with a diverse, little-known ungulate community. We used camera traps and multi-species occupancy modeling to determine presence/absence, habitat use and estimate species richness/occupancy. At Langdu, east of the Yangtze, we had 23 camera sites in four habitats from 4000 to 4815 m asl; at Gehuaqing in the south of Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve (BNR) between Mekong and Yangtze we had 14 sites in two habitats from 3050 to 3600 m asl. At Langdu, we photographed tufted deer Elaphodus cephalophus (Milne-Edwards 1872) most often followed by serow Capricornis milneedwardsii (David 1869) and alpine musk deer Moschus chrysogaster (Hodgson 1839). At Gehuaqing, we photographed serow most often followed by tufted deer and forest musk deer Moschus berezovskii (Flerov 1929). Tufted deer were in the most habitats, and alpine musk deer were at an elevation higher than previously reported (4815 m). The only large carnivore recorded was Asian black bear Ursus thibetanus (Cuvier 1823) leopard cats Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr 1792) were at 4579 m asl, higher than previously documented. Langdu had higher species richness than Gehuaqing, and tufted deer had the highest occupancy at both sites. We discuss differences with another site in the north of BNR.

The Northern Plains sacred langurs are characterized by their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats. We compared activity budgets of two langur groups, one living in the rural area and the other in the center of Keshabpur town. Data was collected from September, 2012 to August, 2013 through continuous focal animal sampling. Types of different food items and its availability in two habitats were mainly responsible for the variations in activity budgets. We found time spent feeding and resting were significantly higher in the urban group whereas, langurs of the rural group spent more time in moving. There were no significant differences in time spent on grooming and other social interactions. Seasonal variations in all major behaviors were significantly affected by groups. Langurs of both groups spent greater time on feeding and resting in the winter than other seasons while moving was at its peak in the summer. Females spent more time in grooming than males while males spent more time in vigilance and interaction than females. The langurs showed a considerable behavioral plasticity in response to variation of habitat and resources, and the knowledge of these differences is important for the conservation and management of this species.

A series of 14 new observations of Hyladelphys kalinowskii (Didelphidae) provides novel natural history information about this rare Neotropical opossum, which appears to occur throughout French Guiana, from highly degraded forest patches of the littoral zone to large tracks of pristine primary forests in the interior. Six nests were found containing one to several individuals, including females with suckling young. It appears that the components (dry leaves, small twigs) of some nests are glued together with a whitish cement of unknown origin. Including previously reported records, a total of 18 individuals of H. kalinowskii have now been caught or observed in French Guiana. External and cranial measurements of five adult specimens are tabulated.

Studies around Dongting Lake have indicated that the Three Gorges Project (TGP) has had a large effect on the structure of the small mammal community; however, few studies have analyzed this around Poyang Lake. To understand the status of the small mammal community around Poyang Lake, the lakeside farmland and beaches were surveyed in 2015 and 2016. The results showed the overall trap success was 10.12% on farmland and 5.47% on lake beaches, with five species of Rodentia and one species of Soricomorpha. The density of the small mammal was high, especially in rice fields. Apodemus agrarius and Rattus losea were the dominant species, representing 49.59% and 47.68% of the species composition on farmland. The dominant species on the beach area were A. agrarius (66.01%) and R. losea (28.76%). The species abundance and diversity indexes of the small mammal community on beaches were similar to those on farmland. The widespread presence of A. agrarius , R. losea , and Rattus norvegicus on the beaches indicates the farmland community had migrated to the beach area. In conclusion, it is important to elucidate the succession of the small mammal community inhabiting the lake beaches in downstream areas to quantify the impact of the TGP.

A study of the activity patterns, time allocation for each activity and variations in activities due to environmental alterations are necessary for understanding the biology of any species. This study investigates the relationship of micro-habitat and environmental conditions with seasonal and temporal activities of Indian crested porcupines (ICP) around their burrows in Keoladeo National Park (KNP), India. This species is considered as a problem species, often ignoring its ecological importance as an ecosystem engineer. Of the 39 sampled burrows, 58.97%, 38.46% and 83.78% were occupied in winter, summer and monsoon, respectively. The estimated porcupine density was 3.21±1.32 SD individuals/km 2 , accounting for a population size of 65.89±27.15 SD individuals. A seasonal shift in rate of emergence was observed in monsoon and winter, when ICP emerged earlier, significantly correlating with the sunset timings. The daily activity records of adult ICP outside burrow significantly peaked in January–February when they prepare the burrows for the gestation period of 90–112 days, followed by rearing of the offspring. The temporal activity significantly reduced in the full moon nights, perhaps to avoid predators. The study affirms that environmental determinants including the timings of sunrise, sunset and lunar phase significantly affect the variations in temporal activity and burrow use patterns of ICP.

We investigated a large colony of European free-tailed bats ( Tadarida teniotis ) in Spain, using a combination of capture-mark-recapture data and direct observations. Its social and reproductive organisation is complex and the mating system fits a “resource defence polygyny” model. In spring and autumn, aggressive interactions in flight, defence of roosts and mating songs of males to attract females occurred. According to our results, T. teniotis is organised in “harems” consisting of a dominant male and a variable number of females. In addition the sexual cycle displayed a bimodal reproductive pattern (this is unique and remarkable for European bats). The bimodal pattern coincided with peaks in food availability (moths) at high altitudes. Presumably, roost-guarding activities (patrolling, advertising…) make males less prone to move away (e.g. at higher altitudes and longer distances) from roosts, resulting in differences in prey selection and in altitudinal segregation between sexes. This provides a plausible explanation for the differences in diet (predation of more sedentary vs. high-flying migratory moths) between males and females that has been found in published studies.

Patterns of bat distribution in Cerrado can be influenced by habitat heterogeneity and seasonal variation. We described the bat fauna in Cerrado landscape during an environment-monitoring program in Tocantins State, Northern Brazil. Additionally, we tested the influence of habitat heterogeneity and seasonality on the abundance and species richness of Phyllostomidae in this region by Generalized Linear Mixed Models. In 2010, we sampled 40 nights (rainy and dry seasons) in four vegetation types of Cerrado biome. Taxonomic identification was based on measurements and qualitative diagnostics. With a sampling effort of 43,965 m 2 ·h, we captured 274 bats of 30 species, 22 genera and six families. Carollia perspicillata was the most abundant species captured. Colinas do Tocantins municipality was richer than Goiantins (26 and 19 species respectively). The best model for abundance was the interaction between heterogeneity and seasonality and the best model for richness was a mix between these two variables. We registered eight new species for the Tocantins including three species considered threatened with extinction at national level and one at global level. Such results highlight that this region is important for new investigations on the Cerrado biome.

Marco Polo sheep ( Ovis ammon polii ) occurring in the rugged mountainous landscapes of Central and South Asia, are difficult to survey and conserve due to their straggling habits in remote and inhospitable habitats. The paper presents population estimates and migration trends of Marco Polo sheep in Khunjerab, Pakistan, over 20 years (1992–2012), determined through direct count method. During this period a total of 1069 sheep visited Pakistan, with mean annual herd size of 76.35 (SD=±40.87). Sex ratio in the population skewed towards females, having male:female ratio of 0.69:1 with 43 lambs to 100 ewes. Annual population density of the immigrant populations oscillated between 0.42 and 2.13 animals/km 2 (SD=±0.53). The visitation showed drastic decline over 20 years, possibly due to fencing at the Sino-Pakistan border and dietary competition with wild herbivores. Fewer lambs in summer populations is another point of concern, probably as result of predation of young cohort by avian and mammalian predators. Removing obstructions on migratory routes and reducing dietary competition with sympatric herbivores are suggested for viability of argali populations in Pakistan.

It is known that the garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus includes meat in its diet, however, it is unclear if scavenging is a widespread behaviour, as it is difficult to observe in the wild. Here, we document scavenging behaviour for the species based on direct evidence. We captured five garden dormice with live traps using dead baits, which were partially or totally consumed. Additionally, a camera-trap recorded how at least one garden dormouse visited and actively consumed the bait on 12 occasions during the study. These observations suggest that carrion may play an important role in the garden dormouse’s diet, opening a new ecological unexplored topic for this species.

We conducted a brief radiotelemetry study of Scotinomys teguina (Alston’s singing mice) in Costa Rica to better understand their natural history and spatial ecology. We radio-collared five mice, one of which was quickly eaten by a pitviper. The home ranges of the remaining mice were in moist habitats and ranged from 255 to 1620 m 2 , with extensive overlap between adjacent individuals. Singing mice, being small, diurnal, uniformly dark-colored insectivores foraging in dense forest floor habitats, have an adaptive syndrome similar to soricids, which may be due to the low diversity of shrews through Central America.

Here we report on a skull of an adult male Noctilio leporinus caught in the Guiana Shield, South America. The animal was lacking the upper left molar-row and exhibited skeletal deformations in the rostral and palatal regions. This aberration could have been the result of a traumatic avulsion of the left C1. As a consequence of its position and depth of the root, the C1 avulsion could have broken much of the surrounding alveolar process during the initial injury, with subsequent loss of the remaining teeth via periodontal inflammation and tooth decay.

Dental anomalies have been documented in almost all mammalian orders, and include supernumerary or missing teeth, teeth with aberrant occlusal surfaces and/or roots and teeth in unusual positions. Our objectives were the description and categorization of dental anomalies in all species of the genus Caluromys . We studied 462 crania, recorded and classified dental anomalies in four categories: variations in occlusal/root morphology; teeth in unusual positions; supernumerary/missing teeth; presence of unshed deciduous premolars. We found anomalies in all species, with a percentage ranging from 11% to 6.3%. Caluromys derbianus produced anomalous M4/m4 and flipped crowns, the other two species produced higher numbers of missing teeth. We infer that flipped crowns might have consequences in mastication, while other anomalies seem to be less functionally important, especially those at the end of the toothrow. Comparisons with other New World marsupials show caluromyines have more anomalies in M4/m4 shape (similar to microbiotherids) and flipped crowns, while didelphids have more supernumerary teeth, and caenolestids have more missing teeth.

Aberrant pelage color patterns such as albinism have been reported in some mammal groups including rodents, but in spite of the group’s richness, the phenomenon is relatively poorly documented in the literature. Albino specimens are reported in <2% of the species of rodents, four records of neotropical species were found ( Delomys dorsalis , Heteromys anomalus , Octodon degus , Phyllotis andium ). Of New World porcupines (Erethizontidae), albinism was documented only in the North American species Erethizon dorsatum . Here we report the first albino record from the Neotropics for this group, a stump-tailed porcupine ( Coendou rufescens ) in northern Ecuador.

Saimiri collinsi is a primate that occurs in the Amazon biome and recently was elevated to species status. Despite being an abundant and widespread species, S. collinsi distributional limits are still unknown in the transitional region between Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Here we provide 25 new records for the species, obtained through field observation and analysis of museum specimens. Twenty-one records are from Maranhāo state, three from Tocantins where the species had not yet been registered and one in Pará state. These records expand its known distribution, which now includes the area of transition between the Amazon and Cerrado, as well as one record in the Cerrado biome. We registered the species in areas with intense forest fragmentation and within different habitat types, including primary and secondary forest, babassu palm forest and capoeira forest. This indicates that S. collinsi is a species that can survive in locations with extreme anthropogenic alterations. Nevertheless, out of these new records only the ones in Maranhāo are within protected areas. Even these protected areas are undergoing pressures from deforestation, agriculture, livestock and mining, suggesting that these squirrel monkey populations might be threatened in this region.