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Signatures of genetic isolation of the three lineages of the narrow-headed vole Lasiopodomys gregalis (Cricetidae, Rodentia) in a mosaic steppe landscape of South Siberia Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-18 T. V. Petrova, E. A. Genelt-Yanovskiy, A. A. Lissovsky, U.-M. G. Chash, A. E. Masharsky, N. I. Abramson
Geographic isolation is among the most important factors initiating speciation in mammals. The narrow-headed vole Lasiopodomys gregalis is a widely distributed species in steppe habitats of South Siberia that are highly fragmented by mountain ranges. There are three major mostly allopatric mitochondrial lineages of L. gregalis described throughout the distribution range that most plausibly split in
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Not avian but mammalian scavengers efficiently consume carcasses under heavy snowfall conditions: a case from northern Japan Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-18 Hiroto Enari, Haruka S. Enari
Interest in trophic interactions and ecosystem functions derived from carcass consumption by scavengers has been increasing. Here, we conducted the first evaluation of scavenging processes in an ecosystem with heavy snow, located in northern Japan, which is characterized by the limitations of visual and odor cues to detect carcasses. In this study, we verified the behavioral traits and assemblage compositions
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Temporal overlap among small- and medium-sized mammals in a grassland and a forest–alpine meadow of Central Asia Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-15 Emiliano Mori, Chiara Paniccia, Bariushaa Munkhtsog, Maila Cicero, Claudio Augugliaro
Assessing carnivores and prey temporal activity patterns as well as their overlap provides valuable insights into behavioural mitigations of competition. Moon phases may also play an important role in shaping wild mammals’ activity rhythms with prey showing peaks of activity in darkest nights. Camera trapping has enriched the possibility to conduct systematic studies of activity patterns and temporal
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Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh splits red panda into two phylogenetic species Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-12 Bheem Dutt Joshi, Supriyo Dalui, Sujeet Kumar Singh, Tanoy Mukherjee, Kailash Chandra, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Mukesh Thakur
With the recent classification of red panda into two phylogenetic species, we propose ‘Siang river’ as a potential boundary for species divergence between the Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani). Bayesian-based phylogeny and MJ network splited all the sequences of red pandas into two distinct clusters in accordance with the origin of the samples collected
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Molecular and morphological revision of small Myotinae from the Himalayas shed new light on the poorly known genus Submyotodon (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-12 Manuel Ruedi, Uttam Saikia, Adora Thabah, Tamás Görföl, Sanjan Thapa, Gábor Csorba
The systematics status of the constituent species of the M. mystacinus morphogroup in the Himalayan region has long been marred by uncertainty. Lack of integrative studies combining morphological and genetic data from specimens recently collected in this region has hampered our understanding of cryptic variations in this complex taxonomic group. To address this issue, new material from the Himalayan
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Estimating the density of a small population of leopards ( Panthera pardus ) in central Iran using multi-session photographic‐sampling data Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Mohammad S. Farhadinia, Pouyan Behnoud, Kaveh Hobeali, Seyed Jalal Mousavi, Fatemeh Hosseini-Zavarei, Navid Gholikhani, Hasan Akbari, Alexander Braczkowski, Morteza Eslami, Peyman Moghadas, David W. Macdonald
West Asian drylands host a number of threatened large carnivores, including the leopard (Panthera pardus) which is limited generally to areas with low primary productivity. While conservation efforts have focused on these areas for several decades, reliable population density estimates are missing for many of them. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) methodology is a widely accepted population
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Phylogeography of subspecies of the sable ( Martes zibellina L.) based on mitochondrial genomes: implications for evolutionary history Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Bo Li, Jinyao Lu, Vladimir Monakhov, Hui Kang, Yanchun Xu, Boyang An, Muhammad Usman Ghani, Mingzhe Li, Wenwen Peng, Xingna Ma
Phylogeography of the sable is complicated by mass reintroductions that occurred in some areas of Russia from 1940 to 1970. We assessed phylogeny of the sable by sequence analysis of 75 mitogenome haplotypes, including 63 newly sequenced specimens from aboriginal populations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sable exhibited absence of phylogeographical structure across Eurasia with the exception
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Spatial distribution of the pine marten ( Martes martes ) and stone marten ( Martes foina ) in the Italian Alps Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-07 Federica Fonda, Gianpasquale Chiatante, Alberto Meriggi, Andrea Mustoni, Marco Armanini, Andrea Mosini, Arianna Spada, Marco Lombardini, Davide Righetti, Marco Granata, Enrica Capelli, Renato Pontarini, Giuseppe Roux Poignant, Alessandro Balestrieri
The pine marten (Martes martes) and stone marten (Martes foina) are considered similar carnivores in terms of morphology, habitat requirements, diet and distribution. Despite their range overlap widely throughout Europe, few studies have analysed their spatial distribution in sympatry. With the aim of investigating the environmental factors which may enhance their coexistence, we focused on the Italian
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Consistently high multiple paternity rates in five wild boar populations despite varying hunting pressures Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-06 Thibault Gayet, Ludovic Say, Eric Baubet, Sébastien Devillard
Intraspecific variations in mating systems have been reported in numerous species, especially when they live in varying ecological contexts. This leads to variability between populations with regard to the proportion of females engaging in multiple male mating, which depends on the number of males available. For hunted ungulate species, hunting is known to influence population structure, especially
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Down a hole: missing GPS positions reveal birth dates of an underground denning species, the red fox Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2021-01-06 Zea Walton, Jenny Mattisson
Global positioning system (GPS) technology is increasingly used to study animal behavior. However, some animals exhibit behaviors that may result in the failure to acquire a GPS position, such as for species with underground denning behavior. This creates a challenge for researchers to identify the timing of important life-history events such as birth. Here, we tested if information gaps arising from
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Feeding ecology of the wolf ( Canis lupus ) in a near-natural ecosystem in Mongolia Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-12-23 Nina Tiralla, Maika Holzapfel, Hermann Ansorge
The increasing animosity towards wolves (Canis lupus) by livestock-keeping nomads in Mongolia and the accompanying conflicts highlight the urgent need for knowledge about the feeding behavior of wolves, since information on the feeding ecology of wolves in Mongolia is rare, especially in the mountain taiga and mountain forest steppe regions of Northern Mongolia. Those regions are characterized by a
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Correction to: Influence of land use and artificial water bodies on the habitat use of Myocastor coypus and Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris in the Argentine Pampas Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-12-14 Maria Jose Corriale, Maria Eugenia Pedelacq, María Laura Guichón, David Norberto Bilenca
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.
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Predation of invasive raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) on hibernating bats in the Nietoperek reserve in Poland Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-12-09 Jan Cichocki, Agnieszka Ważna, Anna Bator-Kocoł, Grzegorz Lesiński, Renata Grochowalska, Jacek Bojarski
The raccoon Procyon lotor is an invasive species inhabiting Europe and its impact on local populations, particularly on endangered species, is not well known. The aim of the study was to determine whether raccoons pose a threat to bats wintering in the Nietoperek nature reserve, one of the largest hibernation sites in Central Europe. In the winter of 2016–2017, 67 raccoon scats were collected in one
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Identifying prey of the Javan mongoose ( Urva javanica ) in Java from fecal samples using next-generation sequencing Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-30 Sena A. Subrata, Stefanie R. T. Siregar, Adrien André, Johan R. Michaux
The Javan mongoose (Urva javanica) is a mesopredator native to Java island that has been rarely studied. The limited information raises questions as to its ecological roles, particularly in terms of its effects on agriculture and biodiversity. These questions are critical as its congeneric species, the small Indian mongoose, has been listed among the 100 worst invasive species. To disclose its ecological
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Young and mature males have similar energy expenditure during the rut in a trophy-hunted population of Mediterranean mouflon Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-23 Gilles Bourgoin, Alice Laurent, Pascal Marchand, Jeanne Duhayer, Marie-Thérèse Poirel, Patricia Michel, Christian Itty, Mathieu Garel
In polygynous ungulates, males invest time and energy to reproductive activities during the rut and this involvement is expected to increase with age due to different mating tactics in young versus adult males. In contrast, mating period is expected to be less costly for females for which late gestation and lactation are the most energetically demanding periods. However, empirical supports of these
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Influence of land use and artificial water bodies on the habitat use of Myocastor coypus and Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris in the Argentine Pampas Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-16 Maria Jose Corriale, Maria Eugenia Pedelacq, María Laura Guichón, Davis Norberto Bilenca
The Pampas region of central Argentina has undergone profound changes in land use during the last 2–3 decades. We studied the influences of land use and artificial water bodies on the habitat use of two semiaquatic rodents, coypus (Myocastor coypus) and capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), in different ecological units of the Pampas. We sampled signs of activity of both species in a total of 231
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Guest or pest? Spatio-temporal occurrence and effects on soil and vegetation of the wild boar on Elba island Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-16 Ilaria Greco, Ettore Fedele, Marco Salvatori, Margherita Giampaoli Rustichelli, Flavia Mercuri, Giacomo Santini, Francesco Rovero, Lorenzo Lazzaro, Bruno Foggi, Alessandro Massolo, Francesco De Pietro, Marco Zaccaroni
Where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars, occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. Thus, assessing their spatio-temporal patterns is paramount to their management. We studied the wild boars on Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests to address their occurrence and impact of foraging on natural habitat. We surveyed the western
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Assessing molar wear in narrow-headed voles as a proxy for diet and habitat in a changing Arctic Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-06 Peter S. Ungar, Natalya A. Sokolova, Jacob Purifoy, Ivan A. Fufachev, Aleksandr A. Sokolov
This paper investigates the potential of mesoscale tooth wear (mesowear, chipping, facets, and other wear attributes) in rodents as a proxy for Arctic habitat. It presents a pilot study of narrow-headed voles, Microtus gregalis, at three sites along a latitudinal gradient of ecological subzones in the Yamal Peninsula of the Russian Arctic. These sites include Kharp in the forest–tundra ecotone, Erkuta
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Challenging hibernation limits of hoary bats: the southernmost record of Lasiurus cinereus hibernating in North America Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-06 Ganesh Marín, Daniel Ramos-H, Daniela Cafaggi, Cárol Sierra-Durán, Alejandra Gallegos, Aarón Romero-Ruiz, Rodrigo A. Medellín
It has been suggested that Lasiurus cinereus cinereus migrates from summer roosts at higher latitudes to the coastal regions and southern latitudes in the United States and Mexico to overwinter, where little is known about its winter ecology. We found a hoary bat in a shrub in a conifer forest at high elevation in central Mexico in November 2019. We installed a camera trap and recorded it was hibernating
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Genetic diversity of cytochrome b in Iberian ibex from Andalusia Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-11-05 Francisco J. Márquez, José E. Granados, Antonio Caruz, Ramón C. Soriguer, Paulino Fandos, Francisco J. Cano-Manuel, Jesús M. Pérez
We analysed the diversity of the cytochrome b gene in Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) populations in the southern Iberian Peninsula by sequencing a fragment (987 bp) of this gene in 347 ibex from 10 population nuclei in Andalusia. We found 25 different haplotypes, which account for 64.10% of all haplotypes thus far described for the species (n = 39). All ibex populations other than those from Sierra
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Male bats respond to adverse conditions with larger colonies and increased torpor use during sperm production Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-28 Zuzanna Hałat, Dina K. N. Dechmann, Marcin Zegarek, Ireneusz Ruczyński
Changes in environmental conditions can have strong energetic effects on animals through limited food availability or increased thermoregulatory costs. Especially difficult are periods of increased energy expenditures, such as reproduction. Reproductive female bats from the temperate zone often aggregate in maternity colonies to profit from social thermoregulation to reduce torpor use and buffer the
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Genetic diversity and population structure of the grey wolf ( Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and evidence of wolf × dog hybridisation in the centre of European Russia Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-27 Miroslav P. Korablev, Nikolay P. Korablev, Pavel N. Korablev
Throughout history the human–wolf interaction has not evolved in favour of the wolf, however, wolves have never been endangered in Russia. The wolf (Canis lupus lupus L., 1758) population in the central part of European Russia is relatively high, where environmental conditions, such as relatively undisturbed habitats, wide forested areas and abundance of natural prey, have always contributed to the
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Changes in the social behavior of urban animals: more aggression or tolerance? Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Rafał Łopucki, Daniel Klich, Adam Kiersztyn
Behavioral traits play a major role in successful adaptation of wildlife to urban conditions. However, there are few studies showing how urban conditions affect the social behavior of urban animals during their direct encounters. It is generally believed that the higher density of urban populations translates into increased aggression between individuals. In this paper, using a camera-trap method,
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Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-21 Marcus Clauss, Philipp Zerbe, Laurie Bingaman Lackey, Daryl Codron, Dennis W. H. Müller
Seasonal reproduction is common in mammals. Whereas specific conditions triggering a seasonal response can only be identified in controlled experiments, large-scale comparisons of reproduction in natural habitats and zoos can advance knowledge for taxa unavailable for experimentation. We outline how such a comparison can identify species whose seasonal physiology is linked to photoperiodic triggers
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No genetic signature of glacial refugia in current European fallow deer ( Dama dama dama L., 1758) populations: a comment on Baker et al. (2017) Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-21 Alexis Marchesini, Cristiano Vernesi, Andrea Gandolfi, Marco Masseti
Genetic data are crucial for making inferences about the evolutionary history of species and deriving guidelines for conservation strategies. In conservation genetics studies, each step should be critically evaluated, from sampling strategy to data quality assessment and analytical methods: potential issues and biases should be considered, reproducibility should be guaranteed and the results of different
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First evaluation of the population structure, genetic diversity and landscape connectivity of the Endangered Arabian tahr Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-13 Steven Ross, Jean-Marc Costanzi, Mansoor Al Jahdhami, Haitham Al Rawahi, Muhammad Ghazali, Helen Senn
The Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) occurs only in the mountains of northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The species is classified as Endangered due to its small declining population. In this study, we combined genetic and landscape ecology techniques in order to inform landscape scale conservation and genetic management of Arabian tahr. Using 540 base pairs of mitochondrial control region
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The timing of breeding and independence for snow leopard females and their cubs Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-12 Örjan Johansson, Giorgia Ausilio, Matthew Low, Purevjav Lkhagvajav, Byron Weckworth, Koustubh Sharma
Significant knowledge gaps persist on snow leopard demography and reproductive behavior. From a GPS-collared population in Mongolia, we estimated the timing of mating, parturition and independence. Based on three mother–cub pairs, we describe the separation phase of the cub from its mother as it gains independence. Snow leopards mated from January–March and gave birth from April–June. Cubs remained
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First assessment of habitat suitability and connectivity for the golden jackal in north-eastern Italy Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-06 Elisa Torretta, Olivia Dondina, Claudio Delfoco, Luca Riboldi, Valerio Orioli, Luca Lapini, Alberto Meriggi
Compared with the rapid expansion across Europe, the golden jackal colonization of Italy is still limited and slow. No study focused on the habitat selection or landscape connectivity for this species was performed in Italy; thus, the potential distribution and dispersal patterns in the country remain unknown. Our objectives were to evaluate the suitability of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (north-eastern
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Resident European ground squirrels exhibit higher stress levels than translocated individuals after conservation reinforcement Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-10-02 Maria Kachamakova, Yordan Koshev, Eva Millesi
The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is a rodent inhabiting the open grasslands of central and southeastern Europe. The species is endangered, and various conservation activities are being conducted to preserve and improve the populations’ status, especially during the recent years including translocations of individuals. The success of these measures has varied and is potentially strongly
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A cat in paradise: hunting and feeding behaviour of Eurasian lynx among abundant naive prey Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-28 Martin Duľa, Miha Krofel
Kill rates of predators typically increase when they come into contact with naïve and abundant prey. Such a situation can lead to surplus killing or the occurrence of parallel kills (i.e. additional kills that predator makes while still consuming the carcass from the previous kill). However, there is limited information on the feeding behaviour of predators during such events and how they affect kill
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On the reappearance of the Indian grey wolf in Bangladesh after 70 years: what do we know? Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Muntasir Akash, Umar Faruq Chowdhury, Fatema-Tuz-Zohora Khaleque, Rifath Nehleen Reza, Dulal Chandra Howlader, Mohammad Riazul Islam, Haseena Khan
The Indian grey wolf, Canis lupus pallipes Sykes, 1831, is a small, cryptic subspecies and the only wolf living in arid plains and deserts of the Indian subcontinent. Since 1950, it has been considered extinct beyond 88° east longitude. Herein, we report an instance from Bangladesh after 70 years. A solitary male of C. l. pallipes was killed in retaliation in June 2019 as livestock predation events
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Seasonal survival in a non-hibernating Mediterranean garden dormouse population Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-16 Adrià Viñals-Domingo, Sandro Bertolino, Germán López-Iborra, José Antonio Gil-Delgado
The seasonal survival pattern of a garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus population was studied in a Mediterranean agricultural field area from East Spain, a geographical location in which this species does exhibit no hibernation. Individuals were captured from nest—boxes checked monthly during a 4-year period. Data were analysed using an open population Cormack–Jolly–Seber model including sex, age class
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Size matters: penis size, sexual maturity and their consequences for giant armadillo conservation planning Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-16 Camila Nascimento Luba, Danilo Kluyber, Gabriel Favero Massocato, Nina Attias, Lilja Fromme, Andre Luís Rios Rodrigues, Ana Maria Reis Ferreira, Arnaud Leonard Jean Desbiez
The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living armadillo and is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Little is known about the species biology and especially its reproduction. However, data such as the age at sexual maturity are employed for estimation of a species generation length, which is an important parameter for extinction risk assessment
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Predation and survival in reintroduced populations of the Common hamster Cricetus cricetus in the Netherlands Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-16 Maurice J. J. La Haye, Ruud J. M. van Kats, Gerard J. D. M. Müskens, Caspar A. Hallmann, Eelke Jongejans
European populations of Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) have dramatically declined in the last decades, and in many EU countries, the species is on the brink of extinction. In the Netherlands, a research and reintroduction program was started in three areas with hamster-friendly management to reverse the decline of the species. Since 2002, more than 800 captive-bred and wild-born hamsters were monitored
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Methodological improvements for detecting and identifying scats of an expanding mesocarnivore in south-western Europe Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-07 Esther Descalzo, José Antonio Torres, Pablo Ferreras, Francisco Díaz-Ruiz
The use of scats is a widespread non-invasive method in ecological studies of mammalian carnivores. However, their low detectability and the incorrect species assignment may be important sources of bias. We aimed to optimize the detection and identification of scats of Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), using the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a comparative model. Based on molecular identification
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Population genetics of the African wolf ( Canis lupaster ) across its range: first evidence of hybridization with domestic dogs in Africa Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-09-03 Kahina Mallil, Fabienne Justy, Eli K. Rueness, Sylvain Dufour, Thibaut Totis, Cécile Bloch, Janette Baarman, Mansour Amroun, Philippe Gaubert
Despite the known genetic permeability among wolf-like canids, there is currently no evidence of gene flow between the recently acknowledged African wolf (Canis lupaster) and domestic dogs (C. lupus familiaris). We genotyped African wolves across their range, together with African domestic dogs and ‘reference’ grey wolves (C. l. lupus; not occurring in Africa). Northwestern African wolves showed (1)
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Temporal and individual variation in the diet of the Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis (Olfers, 1818) (Carnivora, Mustelidae), as revealed by stable isotope analysis of vibrissae Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-08-28 Thayara S. Carrasco; Renan C. de Lima; Silvina Botta; Rodrigo Machado; Paulo C. Simões-Lopes; Paulo H. Ott; Eduardo R. Secchi
The Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis, is a semiaquatic mustelid that preys upon fish, amphibians, and crustaceans, in variable proportions according to habitat and/or season. Due to the difficulty of observing this species in the wild, information on its ecology is typically obtained through vestiges, such as feces, which usually do not provide data at the individual level. Thus, this study aimed
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Correction to: eDNA and metabarcoding for rewilding projects monitoring, a dietary approach Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 Laura Iacolina, Mie Bech Lukassen, Camilla Fløjgaard, Rita Buttenschøn, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Cino Pertoldi
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The Electronic Supplementary Material was missing in the online version. The ESM is available in the online version of this correction article.
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How the South was won: current and potential range expansion of the crested porcupine in Southern Italy Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-31 Emiliano Mori, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Remo Bartolomei, Giovanni Capobianco, Paolo Varuzza, Mattia Falaschi
Since the 1970s, the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata has expanded its range into Northern regions in Italy, where it was historically absent, helped by climatic change, legal protection, and forest re-expansion. In the past 10 years, a remarkable range expansion has also been observed in the southernmost Italian regions. The aim of our work was to summarize the distribution of this species in Southern
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Tracing the geographic origin of common pipistrelles ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus ) swarming at a mass hibernaculum Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-31 Gréta Nusová, Marcel Uhrin, Christian C. Voigt, Peter Kaňuch
Mass swarming of tens of thousands of common pipistrelles in front of hibernacula of the Carpathian Mountains suggests that bats may originate from a large catchment area. However, until now neither banding nor molecular data have resolved the geographic origin of common pipistrelles at these sites. Here, we measured the acoustic activity of bats and the stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) in metabolically
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Cryptic lineage diversity within Forest Dormice (Mammalia: Dryomys nitedula ) revealed by deep genetic divergence among different subspecies on the Iranian Plateau and in adjacent areas Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-29 Zeinolabedin Mohammadi, Haji Gholi Kami, Fatemeh Ghorbani, Asghar Khajeh, Urban Olsson
Dryomys nitedula has been considered a polytypic species which is distributed in the Palearctic region. Previous studies have shown the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships between different subspecies of D. nitedula needs to be further investigated. Here, we applied mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers to evaluate phylogenetic relationship among geographical subspecies of D. nitedula in
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Visits at artificial RFID flowers demonstrate that juvenile flower-visiting bats perform foraging flights apart from their mothers Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-21 Andreas Rose; Marco Tschapka; Mirjam Knörnschild
During the transition from parental care to independent life, the development of adequate foraging skills is a major challenge for many juvenile mammals. However, participating in their parents’ knowledge by applying social learning strategies might facilitate this task. For several mammals, communal foraging of adults and offspring is suggested to be an important mechanism in mediating foraging-related
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The phylogeographic structure of the mountain coati ( Nasuella olivacea ; Procyonidae, Carnivora), and its phylogenetic relationships with other coati species ( Nasua nasua and Nasua narica ) as inferred by mitochondrial DNA Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-21 Manuel Ruiz-García; Maria Fernanda Jaramillo; Carlos Herney Cáceres-Martínez; Joseph Mark Shostell
Carnivores are important elements of Neotropical biomes that are in need of conservation efforts. However, successful conservation methods rely on the identification of accurate evolutionary taxa. Unfortunately, in the case of Procyonidae systematics, there has been little knowledge in some genera. Two of these genera are Nasuella and Nasua, also known as the coatis. Herein, we analyzed a dataset obtained
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A checklist of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Iraq Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-20 Montazer K. Mensoor
The current research article represents the first complete review and detailed documentation of available data on the distribution of bats in Iraq. All information was collected from literature records, survey data, and museum collections. This checklist of bats of Iraq has been developed based on several data sources, including previously published literature and recent discoveries of new species
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Wolf diet and livestock depredation in North Bosnia and Herzegovina Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Igor Trbojević; Aleksandra Penezić; Josip Kusak; Oliver Stevanović; Duško Ćirović
Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is considered as a core area for Dinaric-Pindos/Dinaric-Balkan large carnivore populations. Unfortunately, little is known about their population parameters as well as feeding ecology which represents a serious threat to the management of those populations. This particularly applies to wolves (Canis lupus), which are constantly, throughout the year, under hunting pressure
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Flexible habitat use and range extension by the striped hog-nosed skunk ( Conepatus semistriatus ) in Brazil Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Marcelo Magioli; Elaine Rios; Alvaro García-Olaechea; Lilian Bonjorne; Vinicius Alberici; Maíra Benchimol; Eliana Cazetta; Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
We present evidence of plasticity in habitat use and range extension of the striped hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus semistriatus) in Brazil. We first compiled literature records of C. semistriatus across its known distribution (N = 390), added new records from primary data (N = 10), and compared the main landscape composition (forest, savannah, grassland, agriculture) among these occurrence sites (N = 400)
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Patterns of activity rhythms of invasive coypus Myocastor coypus inferred through camera-trapping. Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-14 Emiliano Mori,Alley Andreoni,Francesco Cecere,Matteo Magi,Lorenzo Lazzeri
Studies on activity rhythms are pivotal for the management of invasive alien species, as they provide basic insights into species basic ecology and may increase the success of control programs. The coypu Myocastor coypus, introduced from South America for fur farms, has become one of the most invasive rodents in Europe. Introduced coypus may affect crop productions, as well as natural vegetation and
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Correction to: Locomotion and postures of the Vietnamese pygmy dormouse Typhlomys chapensis (Platacanthomyidae, Rodentia): climbing and leaping in the blind Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-10 Dionisios Youlatos, Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Makrina Tsinoglou, Ilya A. Volodin
The original article can be found online.
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Decreasing dietary diversity following habitat loss: the case of the thin-spined porcupine in the Atlantic forest Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-09 Gastón Andrés Fernandez Giné; Kena Ferrari Moreira da Silva; Deborah Faria
The thin-spined porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus Olfers, 1818) is an endemic and threatened rodent from the Atlantic Forest biological hotspot. Previous studies have demonstrated it follows a strictly leaf-based diet, limited to a few tree species, although such information is derived from few individuals (n = 7) resident in small forest fragments. We aimed to evaluate whether such dietary specialization
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Molecular characterization of Acomys louisae from Somaliland: a deep divergence and contrasting genetic patterns in a rift zone Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-07-06 Daniel Frynta; Klára Palupčíková; Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi; Ahmed Ibrahim Awale; Petra Frýdlová
Phylogeographic patterns in the Horn of Africa have recently attracted researchers searching for hidden diversity and explaining the evolutionary history of this region. In this paper, we focus on spiny mouse Acomys louisae. We examined 88 samples from 13 localities across Somaliland and sequenced CYTB, control region and IRBP genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed clear distinctness of A. louisae
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Investigating infectious disease threats to the recovery of the European polecat in Britain Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 Kari-Anne Heald; Caroline Millins; Andrew C. Kitchener; Ashley C. Banyard; Georg Hantke; Katherine A. Sainsbury; Michael McDonald; Anna Meredith
The European polecat (Mustela putorius) almost became extinct in Britain in the early twentieth century, but populations are now recovering. As seen in other endangered carnivore populations, disease is one potential threat to recovery. This study assessed exposure of wild polecats (n = 149) to three, multi-host pathogens which could limit reproduction and/or cause morbidity and mortality. Serum, lung
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Phylogenetic analysis of marginal Asiatic black bears reveals a recent Iranian–Himalayan divergence and has implications for taxonomy and conservation Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 Gholam Hosein Yusefi; Leili Khalatbari; Michael J. Jowers; Hadi Fahimi; Vânia Costa; Mats Björklund; Albano Beja-Pereira
A small population of Asiatic black bear—known as the Baluchistan black bear—survives in the western limit of the species’ range in Iran, where the species is rare, difficult to monitor and occupy an atypical habitat with extreme environmental conditions. Through the use of noninvasively collected samples, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships
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Activity pattern, budget and diurnal rhythmicity of the brown-throated three-toed sloth ( Bradypus variegatus ) in northeastern Brazil Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 Diogo de Oliveira Bezerra; Leandro Ricardo Rodrigues de Lucena; Giles E. Duffield; Dominic J. Acri; Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes
Previous studies exploring the rhythmic activity of sloths of the Bradypus genus in undisturbed forests revealed cathemeral patterns of activity. In the current study we wished to examine sloth behavior in a highly disturbed secondary forest habitat. We evaluated activity pattern, time budget and rhythmic activities of brown-throated three-toed sloths (B. variegatus) living in the border of a highly
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Taxonomic assessment of the Malayan water shrew Chimarrogale hantu Harrison, 1958 and reclassification to the genus Crossogale Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-10 Muhammad Farhan Abd Wahab; Dharini Pathmanathan; Masaharu Motokawa; Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan; Hasmahzaiti Omar
This study reassesses the taxonomic status of the Malayan water shrew, Chimarrogale hantu Harrison 1958 as a distinct species and reclassifies it as the genus Crossogale through genetic and morphological analyses. We construct phylogenetic trees using both mitochondrial (cyt b) and nuclear markers (ApoB and RAG2). Chimarrogale hantu formed a distinct clade that diverged from other Chimarrogale species
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Locomotion and postures of the Vietnamese pygmy dormouse Typhlomys chapensis (Platacanthomyidae, Rodentia): climbing and leaping in the blind Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-10 Dionisios Youlatos; Aleksandra A. Panyutina; Makrina Tsinoglou; Ilya A. Volodin
The Vietnamese pygmy dormouse is a small, arboreal, nocturnal, blind rodent that uses incipient echolocation to navigate in tree canopies. In order to assess its arboreal faculties in relation to echolocative capacity, the present study investigated the locomotor and postural behavior of the species in a simulated arboreal environment within an enclosure. The study subjects were intensively video and
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Are Asian elephants afraid of honeybees? Experimental studies in northern Thailand Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 Shany Dror; Franziska Harich; Orawan Duangphakdee; Tommaso Savini; Ákos Pogány; John Roberts; Jessica Geheran; Anna C. Treydte
In many parts of South and Southeast Asia, rural farmers living at the borders of protected areas frequently encounter Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) raiding their crops and threatening farmers lives and livelihoods. Traditional deterrent methods often have limited success as elephants become habituated or alternate their movement and behavior. While African bees (Apis mellifera scutellate) have
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Parturition dates in wild Eurasian lynx: evidence of a second oestrus? Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-08 Jenny Mattisson; John Odden; John D. C. Linnell; Johanna Painer; Jens Persson; Henrik Andrén
Understanding reproductive physiology of a species is important to assess their potential to respond to environmental variation and perturbation of their social system during the mating or pre-mating seasons. We report 175 parturition dates from wild Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Scandinavia. Most lynx birth dates were highly synchronised around a mean of 30th May (SD = 9 days) with 173 of the 175 births
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Face markings in Northern chamois: cues of dominance? Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-08 Luca Corlatti; Stefano Sivieri
Black and white face markings in Artiodactyls are thought to be broadly associated with intraspecific communication. Evidence-based studies on the fine-scale mechanisms of signaling, however, are scant. The occurrence of black and white face markings is one of the most distinctive features of the Northern chamois Rupicapra rupicapra. Although their function is unknown, they might possibly signal fighting
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Ecological drivers of group size variation in sika deer: habitat structure, population density, or both? Mamm. Biol. (IF 1.595) Pub Date : 2020-06-04 Hayato Takada; Akane Washida
Habitat structure and population density have long been considered key factors in determining intraspecific variation in the group size of social ungulates. However, the effect of interaction between habitat structure and population density on group size is poorly understood, and whether the underlying causes of these relationships are biological adaptation, emergent properties, or both is still debated