Volume 85, Issue 3

Considering the spread of the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) in Europe over the past 30 years, Luxembourg took some measures to prepare for the return of this apex predator, including the establishment of a management plan that notably addresses the issue of wolf depredation on livestock. Here we present the results of genetic analyses of putative wolf saliva, hair and scat samples collected from or near prey carcasses between 2015 and 2020. In two cases, the wolf was confirmed via DNA analysis: in July 2017 near Garnich and in April 2020 near Niederanven, both assigned to category C1 (hard evidence). A third case was classified as C2 (confirmed observation) based on prey carcass characteristics, while genetic analysis yielded no result. These are the first confirmed records of wolves in Luxemburg since 1893. Moreover, the two C1-cases originated from the Alpine (Garnich) and Central European (Niederanven) populations. Given similar developments in the neighboring countries and regions, we conclude that the area including the Benelux countries as well as Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Northern France may well become a melting pot for wolves of the two aforementioned populations in the coming years and decades.

Human population growth near protected areas often results in detrimental edge effects for apex carnivores, such as the African lion. Urbanization leads to new scenarios of the human–lion conflict, thus understanding ranging patterns close to urban environments is crucial to inform future management strategies. We collected GPS data from 12 collared lions between 2014 and 2018 in Nairobi National Park, which borders the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi city. We estimated home ranges, calculated daily distance traveled and tested for differences between sex, season and pride. Additionally, we investigated how disturbance from Nairobi and surrounding human settlements affected space-use of lions, and tested for differences between sex, season and time of day. Lions showed restricted movements (4.5 km/day) and had small home ranges (49 km 2 ). Male lions had larger ranges than females, but avoidance behavior of disturbed areas was similar. Lions took advantage during times of low human activity, i.e., during the night, to extend ranging behavior in search for resources. Risk for livestock depredation also increased during the wet season when lions roamed longer, more frequently, and deeper into the community lands. We recommend the establishment of buffer zones to maintain a viable lion population and reduced risk for conflict.

Activity pattern studies can help explain the coexistence of competing species. Between 2001 and 2017 we evaluated the activity pattern overlap of jaguar ( Panthera onca ), puma ( Puma concolor ), and their main prey, using camera traps at 17 Amazonian sites in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape. We used the Kernel density estimation to generate species activity patterns and the overlap between both cats. We then calculated the overlap coefficient (Δ) by carrying out 10,000 bootstraps (95%). Both cats were active 24 h a day. The puma has higher nocturnal activity (57%), whilst jaguar activity is split almost equally between night (53%) and day (47%). We did not find temporal segregation between jaguars and pumas, which showed similar activity patterns with a high overlapping coefficient (Δ 4  = 0.84; 0.78–0.91). Also, we did not find significant differences between Male and Female activity patterns for both species (X 2  = 0.50, gl = 1, P  = 0.47). Moreover, both cats had significant overlap with the activity patterns of their main prey. Temporal segregation was not detected in any of our study sites within the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape, suggesting that in this region, these predators employ other mechanisms to avoid competition.

The sand cat is one of the world’s least studied small cats. Our camera-trap survey, one of the largest undertaken in a desert system, generated over 1500 images of the species across 100 camera-traps distributed systematically over the 2400 km 2 core area of the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area of the Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia. The study revealed a much more significant and widespread sand cat population in the ecosystem than previously understood. Sand cats were detected across one-third of the core area in all major habitats, comprising escarpment plateau, sand dunes and interdunal gravel valleys. The species showed a marginal preference for the interior parallel dune system with interspersed gravel valleys where they also preferred sand dunes over the gravel valley in the hot season. There was no evidence of strong spatial interactions with other predators. The ecosystem’s larger predators (Arabian red fox and honey badger, and all records of wild and feral cats) were primarily associated with the escarpment plateau. The smaller Rueppell’s fox was the only other carnivore more consistently present in the main dune system. Sand cats were strictly nocturnal and 14% more active in the hot season than the cool season.

The Dama dama dama population of the island of Rhodes has an important conservation significance because of its unique genetic characters. Currently, many are the factors that threaten its survival. Aim of this paper is to provide the first data on the spatio-temporal co-occurrence between the only free-ranging Greek population of common fallow deer and local domestic caprines. Kilometric abundance index (KAI) was derived from spotlight counts. The unattended domestic caprines appear to impact on fallow deer, in particular during fawning season. Livestock monitoring over time can act as a proxy indicator of the status of this deer population.

Many herbivorous, granivorous and frugivorous rodents can integrate animal proteins in their diet, still for many of them no information is available on the importance of animal food sources. The crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata , is considered a strictly vegetarian rodent. It may integrate animal proteins through bone-gnawing, while the importance of insects in his diet is poorly known. In this study we assessed the presence of insects in the diet of this rodent in Central Italy by collecting 141 faecal samples along transects in 2016–2020. Hypogeal plant organs were the main component of the diet (absolute frequency = 50.38%; volume = 60.13%). Insects were detected only in 6.8% samples, only in February–March, at the annual birth peak for the crested porcupine. Insect consumption, although occasional, could be linked to the nutritional requirements of this rodent during lactation.

This study investigated the spatio-temporal association of small mammals in human-modified habitats. Small mammals were sampled using Sherman traps along 200 m transects (with one trap at every 10 m interval) in each of four habitats (cropland, forest patch, scrubland and wetland) replicated twice. Additional trapping was carried out in rural settlements comprising of eight homesteads, with five traps per homestead. Trapping was conducted in three sessions during the agricultural seasons: rainy (October), off-rain (December) and dry (February) over two years (2018 and 2019). In each session, trapping was carried out for three consecutive nights. A total of 497 small mammals belonging to 12 species from four families (Soricidae, Macroscelididae, Gliridae and Muridae) were captured. Murine rodents accounted for 99.4% of the animals with Mastomys erythroleucus (58%) being the dominant species. The scrubland had the highest small mammal species diversity while the cropland had the lowest. M. erythroleucus was not strongly associated with any spatio-temporal parameter and scored majority of seasonally reproducing individuals in the cropland, signifying its pest importance. Though disconnected from protected areas, habitats such as the scrubland harbor diverse small mammal species (including a vulnerable-endemic species, Grammomys minnae ), suggesting the habitats’ significance for ecosystem functioning and conservation.

Peninsular effect is an anomalous gradient in plant and animal species richness from base to tip of a given peninsula. This pattern has been studied intensely on various taxonomic groups, but with scarce attention for using standardized data. Here, using presence-absence data normalized by the field effort, the peninsular effect on the species richness of some mammalian groups (Eulipotyphla [i.e. Soricomorpha + Erinaceomorpha], Rodentia, and Chiroptera) was analyzed along the Italian peninsula. Specifically, species richness at each 30′-wide latitudinal band and the normalized species richness were compared, and generalized linear models (GLM) were used to assess whether habitat diversity, altitudinal range and area of each latitudinal band were the main predictors in explaining the peninsular effects in each of the three mammalian orders. In both Rodentia and Chiroptera, species richness was better predicted by habitat heterogeneity and by the interaction term habitat heterogeneity × field effort. For Eulipotyphla, GLM models gave no significant results. Our study highlighted the importance of taking into account the sampling effort in order to proper evaluate the peninsular effects on species richness in animals.

The study contributes to the knowledge of species composition and biogeographical affinities of savannas rodent in Gabon. Unlike small rodents in Gabonese forests, there is little data on the diversity of small rodents in Gabonese savannas. The diversity and distribution of rodent murid communities was studied in four different types of savanna in Gabon: Coastal Basin (South-West), Lopé/Okanda (in the Center), Batéké Plateaux (Southeastern) and Ngougnié/ N’yanga (in the South). A total of 428 individuals representing six species were captured over 11,920 trap nights. Trap success was highly variable (2.2–6.9 %). The most abundant species were Mus minutoides (69%) followed by Lemniscomys striatus (21.5%). Indices of species richness varied from 2 to 5 and diversity (Shannon and Weaver) was low in the four savannas with the highest value at Ngougnié/N’yanga ( H ′ = 1.2). Species distributions show that Gabonese savanna small rodents conform to four distribution types, with one species known from Zambesian savannas exhibiting austral affinities ( Pelomys campanae : occurs in three southern savannas). This new information provides important insight into the biogeography of small rodents at a local and regional level. Moreover, the correspondence analysis highlighted an influence of local ecological factors on population abundance.

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.

The systematics and taxonomy of the broadly distributed bats of the genus Cynomops has changed considerably in the last few years. Among the major changes, Cynomops abrasus was split into two species of large-bodied forms ( Cynomops mastivus and C. abrasus ) distributed east of the Andes. However, large Colombian specimens identified as C. abrasus from the western side of the Andes had yet to be included in any revisionary work. Phylogenetic analysis performed in this study, using mtDNA sequences (Cytochrome- b ), revealed that these Colombian individuals are more closely related to Cynomops greenhalli . Morphological and molecular data allowed us to recognize populations from western Colombia, western Ecuador and northwestern Peru, as members of a new species of Cynomops . Characters that allow for its differentiation from C. greenhalli include a larger forearm, paler but more uniform ventral pelage, more globular braincase, and well-developed zygomatic processes of the maxilla (almost reaching the postorbital constriction). This study serves as another example of the importance of including multiple lines of evidence in the recognition of a new species. Given its rarity and the advanced transformation of its habitat, this new species is particularly important from a conservation perspective.

Based on a variety of evidence (photographs, feces, specimens), three previously unsuspected caviomorph rodents are reported from Argentina: (1) a spiny rat (Echimyidae) probably belonging to the genus Phyllomys , in northern Misiones Province near Iguazú National Park; (2) an undetermined octodontid (Octodontidae) in western Chacoan Córdoba Province; and (3) the octodontid Spalacopus (Octodontidae), in high-Andean ranges of San Juan Province. The latter constitutes the first record of the genus for Argentina, and all the three findings highlight the necessity to increase collecting efforts in the country.