Volume 88, Issue 2

Arboreal camera traps are becoming more commonly used for monitoring wildlife. Pangolins (Order: Pholidota) are a threatened group of mammals that are challenging to monitor across their range. In this study, we assessed the use of arboreal and ground camera traps for monitoring the three pangolin species native to West Africa in the Ziama Man and Biosphere Reserve, Guinea. We fit occupancy models to our data to examine the effect of factors related to camera height and tree height on detection probability. In addition, we evaluated the utility of deploying multiple cameras within the same tree. Our study showed that arboreal camera traps can successfully detect both arboreal pangolin species, with the highest detection in mid-canopy for white-bellied pangolin and mid-to high-canopy for black-bellied pangolins. In addition, our results suggest at least 4–6 cameras deployed on each tree to maximize the opportunity of detecting these species. We did not detect giant pangolins. Further studies are needed to continue improving detection of all three pangolins for monitoring and adaptive management of these heavily harvested and traded species.

Knowledge of reproduction in wild Andean bears ( Tremarctos ornatus ) is scarce. Here we provide novel information about litter size, birth timings, courtship and multi-generational groups in a population in the Chingaza massif in Colombia. Pregnant females, mothers with cubs, estimated birth times, and litter size were registered through camera trapping of a population at the Chingaza massif (Colombia) between 2011 and 2016. A total of 34 independent records of reproductive female bears were obtained. Twenty-eight (28) different reproductive females were recognized by external key features. Six different females were recorded only pregnant, two others were recorded pregnant and later with cubs, and 20 others were recorded only with cubs. In total, 29 cubs were recorded in 22 litters, with a mean litter size of 1.27 (SD = 0.45): 16 litters with one cub, 5 with 2 cubs, and 1 with 2 cubs + a big cub from a previous litter (>1 year). The highest records of mothers with little cubs were obtained for the low rain season in December, January, and February, full of dry-season-fruiting Ericaceae shrubs. Likewise, the highest estimated births were obtained during the rainy time in June. Multi-generational groups and the courtship behaviors are reported for the first time in Colombia.

Protected areas are becoming increasingly isolated refugia for large carnivores but remain critical for their survival. Spotted hyaenas ( Crocuta crocuta ) are important members of the African large carnivore guild but, like other members of the guild, routinely come into conflict with people because of their large home ranges that are not always confined to protected areas. To effectively conserve spotted hyaena populations, it is paramount to monitor their abundance through reliable and cost-effective techniques. We estimated the density of spotted hyaenas in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park (HiP), South Africa using camera trap images and a spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) framework between 2013 and 2018. We estimated an average of 18.29 ± 3.27 spotted hyaenas per 100 km 2 between 2013 and 2018, with an annual estimated high of 20.83/100 km 2 in 2014 and a low of 11.98/100 km 2 in 2015. Our results demonstrate that camera trap by-catch data can be used for estimating spotted hyaena densities over time. We believe that given the widespread use and deployment of camera traps across Africa, collaborative efforts to use existing data to improve regional and continental estimates and population trends for spotted hyaenas should be a priority.

Morphological abnormalities in bats are rarely reported and, particularly, ocular problems are relatively scarce in the literature. We present a review of the records of ocular alterations in bats of the American continent and document for the first time a case of ocular alteration in the species Saccopteryx bilineata in northern Colombia. In this study we found cases of corneal opacity (5/19 individuals), lesions and trauma, microphthalmia (4/19 individuals), anophthalmia (4/19 individuals) and adnexal diseases (2/19 individuals). We encourage researchers to report their observations of bats with ocular anomalies, as this information could be useful for estimating occurrence rates and addressing questions associated with the social behaviour of the species and on their effects on natural populations.

Thomas’s Flying Squirrel ( Aeromys thomasi ) is a rarely observed, large, nocturnal species of Flying Squirrel, confined to the island of Borneo. Very little is known about the ecology, behaviour, and natural history of the species. Fruit is the only diet item recorded so far. I report for the first time feeding on bark and on young leaf shoots by the species. These observations match the results of an examination of the species’ dentition, which had suggested a mixed diet including leaves.

Based on camera trap images, we document active foraging attempts on nests of colonial waterbirds by a fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus . The nests were built in the canopy of an 8-m-tall Indian Oak tree Barringtonia acutangula in the Haor Basin region, northeast Bangladesh. In 2022, two events of fishing cats reaching nests with fledglings were documented. In one event, the cat killed four fledglings. The species primarily follows a piscivorous diet and is evolutionarily adapted for semi-aquatic hunting niches. These records provide the first known evidence of the arboreal hunting behaviour observed in the fishing cat.

Unusual colorations are rare in Didelphis , but records are important to understand genetic aspects of the species. Albino individuals have a total absence of pigmentation throughout the body (skin and hair) and have eyes without traces of pigmentation, but with a red or pink color. We draw attention to the first two confirmed records of albinism in white-eared opossum ( Didelphis albiventris ) and their karyotype. This is the first record of albinism in D. albiventris in Northeastern Brazil. This calls attention to develop future research on the genetic diversity and the risk of inbreeding and consanguinity in populations of this region.

Rodent populations often undergo large, regular fluctuations. We studied immunological condition and physiological stress in the common vole and how it varied with environmental factors linked with population fluctuations, namely flea and Francisella tularensis (the bacterium causing tularemia) prevalence. We used two leukocyte indices, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (N:L) and proportion of eosinophils, as physiological long-term stress indicators, and measured levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) as a generic index of immunological condition. Leukocyte indices showed a hump-shaped relationship with Ig levels, consistent with an interdependence between physiological stress and immunological condition. N:L was negatively associated with vole density only in males. Eosinophil proportion was explained by the interaction between flea burden and tularemia prevalence, with highest levels in flea-infested voles also infected with tularemia. Ig levels did not vary with sex or flea prevalence but increased in tularemia-infected voles. When Ig levels were included as covariates in our models, the associations between leukocyte indices and environmental factors remained significant. Results suggest sex-specific associations between physiological stress and population density, and an influence of tularemia infection depending on ectoparasite load. We recommend using immunological parameters complementarily to leukocyte indices when studying physiological stress and infection dynamics in wild populations.

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has undergone significant transformation, resulting in habitat loss and the endangerment of many species of mammals and other vertebrates. In this study, the presence of fluctuating asymmetry of four anatomical structures of the arboreal rodent Rhipidomys mastacalis was evaluated using geometric morphometrics. The study focused on adult specimens collected in a mosaic of vegetation composed of forested vegetation, occupancy mosaics in forested areas, and cocoa plantations. The results showed significant values of fluctuating asymmetries in all structures and in all areas. The skulls and scapulae showed the highest values of asymmetry in forested vegetation and cocoa plantations, while the mandibles showed the greatest values in forested vegetation, and the pelvis in occupancy mosaics and cocoa plantations. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have evaluated developmental stability in mammals and suggest that high asymmetry values indicate an effect on different phases of ontogeny, which can harm the survival of a species in future generations. Overall, this study provides important insights into the impacts of habitat fragmentation on Rhipidomys mastacalis and highlights the need for conservation efforts to preserve the integrity of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and its diverse range of wildlife.

Due to the wide distribution through the Iranian Plateau, especially in its western parts adjacent to Iraq’s northeastern borders, the occurrence of Brandt’s Hedgehog Paraechinus hypomelas (Brandt, 1836) was suspected, but no confirmed records were made. In 2021–2023, several sightings were obtained during in situ surveys in the Bamo-Khoshk Mountains in the Kurdistan region-northeastern Iraq which confirm the first occurrence of this species in the country.

Ctenomys paramilloensis Roig et al. (1975. Ctenomys paramilloensis, una nueva especie de tucu-tuco de la Sierra de Uspallata, provincia de Mendoza (Rodentia, Octodontidae). In: Resúmenes IV Jornada Argentina de Zoología . Corrientes, Argentina), was coined to represent populations for this caviomorph (Hystricomorpha) subterranean rodent inhabiting a high Andean isolated tableland in the Sierra de Uspallata, Mendoza, Argentina. To evaluate the validity of this nominal form we conducted a field sampling involving several localities within the target geographical area. The results obtained indicate that all the sampled populations belong to the widespread Ctenomys mendocinus Philippi, 1869. Accordingly, C. paramilloensis is resolved as a junior synonym of the latter.