Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Home range and core area utilisation of three co-existing mongoose species: large grey, water and white-tailed in the fragmented landscape of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Mammalian Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The spatial ecology of the Herpestidae family has remained poorly studied across Africa. The behavioural plasticity and generalist nature of members of the family could be facilitating their expansion in anthropogenically transformed landscapes. Given the current paucity of information on their spatial ecology, knowledge of their spatial movement is important ecological information for the species conservation. Three co-existing mongoose species [large grey (Herpestes ichneumon, n = 5)], water (Atilax paludinosus, n = 5) and white-tailed (Ichneumia albicauda, n = 2) were collared and tracked from September 2016 to October 2017 using Global Positioning System (GPS)–Ultra-high-frequency (UHF) transmitters to determine their home range size and fine-scale spatial movement in the fragmented natural habitat and farmland mosaic landscape of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Three home range methods [minimum convex polygon (MCP), kernel density estimation (KDE) and local convex hull (LoCoH)] were used to delineate individual home range size and core area utilisation. The overall mean home range size (95% KDE mean ± S.E.) differed among species: large grey (9.8 ± 8.19 km2), water (13.7 ± 5.30 km2) and white-tailed mongoose (0.9 ± 0.06 km2). The mean core area utilisation size (50% KDE means ± S.E.) for large grey, water and white-tailed mongoose was 2.2 ± 0.77 km2, 3.1 ± 0.96 km2 and 0.2 ± 0.02 km2. Species specific variability in home range size of the study species emphasises this family’s adaptability to their surrounding environment in a changing natural habitat and farmland mosaic landscape. The reduced core area use possibly indicates the availability of high resourceful areas and adequate resources within a comparably small area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Admasu E, Thirgood SJ, Bekele A, Laurenson MK (2004) Spatial ecology of white-tailed mongoose in farmland in the Ethiopian Highlands. Afr J Ecol 42:153–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA (1999) The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agric Ecosyst Environ 74:19–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker C (1997) White-tailed Mongoose Ichneumia albicauda. In: Mills G, Hes L (eds) The complete book of Southern African mammals. Struik, Cape Town, South Africa, pp 215

    Google Scholar 

  • Bateman PW, Fleming PA (2012) Big city life: carnivores in urban environments. J Zool 287:1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Boitani L, Fuller T (2000) Research techniques in animal ecology: controversies and consequences, 2nd edn. Columbia University Press, Columbia

    Google Scholar 

  • Boutin S (1990) Food supplementation experiments with terrestrial vertebrates: patterns, problems, and the future. Can J Zool 68:203–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett AF, Saunders DA (2010) Habitat fragmentation and landscape change. In: Sodhi NS, Ehrlich PR (eds) Conservation biology for all. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 1544–1550

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt WH (1943) Territoriality and home range concepts as applied to mammals. J Mammal 24:346–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Cagnacci F, Boitani L, Powell RA, Boyce MS (2010) Animal ecology meets GPS-based radiotelemetry: a perfect storm of opportunities and challenges. Phil Trans R Soc B 365:2157–2162

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Calenge C (2006) The package “adehabitat” for the R software: a tool for the analysis of space and habitat use by animals. Ecol Model 197:516–519

    Google Scholar 

  • Caceres NC, Nápoli RP, Hannibal W (2011) Differential trapping success for small mammals using pitfall and standard cage traps in a woodland savannah region of southwestern Brazil. Mammalia 75:45–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter A, Luck GW, McDonald SP (2012). Ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in an agricultural landscape. 2. Home range and movements. Aust Mammal 34:175–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceballos G, Ehrlich PR (2002) Mammal population losses and the extinction crisis. Science 296:904–907

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ceballos G, Ehrlich PR (2006) Global mammal distributions, biodiversity hotspots, and conservation. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 103:19374–19379

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock T, Harvey PH (1978) Mammals, resources and reproductive strategies. Nature 273:191–195

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crooks KR, Soulé ME (1999) Mesopredator release and avifaunal extinctions in a fragmented system. Nature 400:563–566

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Di Minin E, Slotow R, Hunter LT, Pouzols FM, Toivonen T, Verburg PH, Leader-Williams N, Petracca L, Moilanen A (2016) Global priorities for national carnivore conservation under land use change. Sci Rep 6:23814

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dickman AJ (2010) Complexities of conflict: the importance of considering social factors for effectively resolving human–wildlife conflict. Anim Conserv 13:458–466

    Google Scholar 

  • Drabik-Hamshare M, Downs CT (2017) Aspects of the home range ecology of the leopard tortoise in the semi-arid central Karoo: an area threatened with fracking. J Arid Environ 144:31–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Durant SM, Craft ME, Foley C, Hampson K, Lobora AL, Msuha M, Eblate E, Bukombe J, Mchetto J, Pettorelli N (2010) Does size matter? An investigation of habitat use across a carnivore assemblage in the Serengeti. Tanzania J Anim Ecol 79:1012–1022

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elmhagen B, Ludwig G, Rushton S, Helle P, Lindén H (2010) Top predators, mesopredators and their prey: interference ecosystems along bioclimatic productivity gradients. J Anim Ecol 79:785–794

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Estes JA, Terborgh J, Brashares JS, Power ME, Berger J, Bond WJ, Carpenter SR, Essington TE, Holt RD, Jackson JB (2011) Trophic downgrading of planet Earth. Science 333:301–306

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fieberg J (2007) Kernel density estimators of home range: smoothing and the autocorrelation red herring. Ecology 88:1059–1066

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fryxell JM, Sinclair AR, Caughley G (2014) Wildlife ecology, conservation, and management, 3rd edn. Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, p 500

    Google Scholar 

  • Getz WM, Fortmann-Roe S, Cross PC, Lyons AJ, Ryan SJ, Wilmers CC (2007) LoCoH: nonparameteric kernel methods for constructing home ranges and utilization distributions. PLoS ONE 2:e207

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gilchrist JS, Otali E (2002) The effects of refuse-feeding on home-range use, group size, and intergroup encounters in the banded mongoose. Can J Zool 80:1795–1802

    Google Scholar 

  • Glen AS, Dickman CR (2005) Complex interactions among mammalian carnivores in Australia, and their implications for wildlife management. Biol Rev Camb Phil Soc 80:387–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Graw B, Lindholm A, Manser M (2016) Female-biased dispersal in the solitarily foraging slender mongoose, Galerella sanguinea, in the Kalahari. Anim Behav 111:69–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Hebblewhite M, Haydon DT (2010) Distinguishing technology from biology: a critical review of the use of GPS telemetry data in ecology. Phil Trans R Soc B 365:2303–2312

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda H, Izawa M, Baba M, Takeishi M, Doi T, Ono Y (1983) Range size and activity pattern of three nocturnal carnivores in Ethiopia by radio-telemetry. J Ethol 1:109–111

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda H, Ono Y, Baba M, Iwamoto T (1982) Ranging and activity patterns of three nocturnal viverrids in Orno National Park. Ethiopia Afr J Ecol 20:179–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiménez J, Nuñez-Arjona JC, Mougeot F, Ferreras P, González LM, García-Domínguez F, Muñoz-Igualada J, Palacios MJ, Pla S, Rueda C, Villaespesa F (2019) Restoring apex predators can reduce mesopredator abundances. Biol Conserv 238:108234

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenward R (2001) A manual for wildlife radio tagging, 2nd edn. Academic Press, San Diego, p 311

    Google Scholar 

  • Kernohan BJ, Gitzen RA, Millspaugh JJ (2001) Analysis of animal space use and movements. In: Millspaugh JJ, Marzluff JM (eds) Radio tracking and animal populations. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 125–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Killick DJB (1990) A field guide to the flora of the Natal Drakensberg. Jonathan Ball and Ad, Donker, Johannesburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Laver PN, Kelly MJ (2008) A critical review of home range studies. J Wildl Manag 72:290–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Laver PN, Powell RA, Alexander KA (2015) Screening GPS telemetry data for locations having unacceptable error. Ecol Inform 27:11–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Legendre P (1993) Spatial autocorrelation: trouble or new paradigm? Ecology 74:1659–1673

    Google Scholar 

  • Lichti NI, Swihart RK (2011) Estimating utilization distributions with kernel versus local convex hull methods. J Wildl Manag 75:413–422

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowry H, Lill A, Wong B (2013) Behavioural responses of wildlife to urban environments. Biol Rev Camb Phil Soc 88:537–549

    Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald DW (1983) The ecology of carnivore social behaviour. Nature 301:379–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddock A, Perrin M (1993) Spatial and temporal ecology of an assemblage of viverrids in Natal, South Africa. J Zool 229:277–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddock AH (1988) Resource partitioning in a viverrid assemblage. PhD thesis, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg

  • Manson AD (1996) The fertility status of land used for small-scale cropping in KwaZulu-Natal. KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture

  • Martinoli A, Preatoni D, Galanti V, Codipietro P, Kilewo M, Fernandes CA, Wauters LA, Tosi G (2006) Species richness and habitat use of small carnivores in the Arusha National Park (Tanzania). Biodivers Conserv 15:1729–1744

    Google Scholar 

  • McKee JK, Sciulli PW, Fooce CD, Waite TA (2004) Forecasting global biodiversity threats associated with human population growth. Biol Conserv 115:161–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Mucina L, Rutherford MC (2006) The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, 8th edn. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathan R, Getz WM, Revilla E, Holyoak M, Kadmon R, Saltz D, Smouse PE (2008) A movement ecology paradigm for unifying organismal movement research. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 105:19052–19059

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ngcobo SP, Wilson AL, Downs CT (2019a) Home ranges of Cape porcupines on farmlands, peri-urban and suburban areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mamm Biol 96:102–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Ngcobo SP, Wilson AL, Downs CT (2019b) Habitat selection of Cape porcupines in a farmland-suburban context in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mamm Biol 98:111–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Palomares F, Delibes M (1993) Social organization in the Egyptian mongoose: Group size, spatial behaviour and inter-individual contacts in adults. Anim Behav 45:917–925

    Google Scholar 

  • Pekin BK, Pijanowski BC (2012) Global land use intensity and the endangerment status of mammal species. Divers Distrib 18:909–918

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettorelli N, Lobora A, Msuha M, Foley C, Durant S (2010) Carnivore biodiversity in Tanzania: revealing the distribution patterns of secretive mammals using camera traps. Anim Conserv 13:131–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell RA (2000) Animal home ranges and territories and home range estimators. In: Pearl M, Boitani L, Fuller T (eds) Research techniques in animal ecology: controversies and consequences, vol 1. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 65–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Prugh LR, Stoner CJ, Epps CW, Bean WT, Ripple WJ, Laliberte AS, Brashares JS (2009) The rise of the mesopredator. Bioscience 59:779–791

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramesh T, Downs CT (2015) Impact of land use on occupancy and abundance of terrestrial mammals in the Drakensberg Midlands, South Africa. J Nat Conserv 23:9–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray J (1997) Comparative ecology of two African forest mongooses, Herpestes naso and Atilax paludinosus. Afr J Ecol 35:237–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripple WJ, Chapron G, López-Bao JV, Durant SM, Macdonald DW, Lindsey PA, Bennett EL, Beschta RL, Bruskotter JT, Campos-Arceiz A (2016) Saving the world's terrestrial megafauna. Bioscience 66:807–812

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ripple WJ, Estes JA, Beschta RL, Wilmers CC, Ritchie EG, Hebblewhite M, Berger J, Elmhagen B, Letnic M, Nelson MP (2014) Status and ecological effects of the world’s largest carnivores. Science 343:151–162

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ripple WJ, Newsome TM, Wolf C, Dirzo R, Everatt KT, Galetti M, Hayward MW, Kerley GI, Levi T, Lindsey PA (2015) Collapse of the world’s largest herbivores. Sci Adv 1:e1400103

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie EG, Johnson CN (2009) Predator interactions, mesopredator release and biodiversity conservation. Ecol Lett 12:982–998

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roemer GW, Gompper ME, Van Valkenburgh B (2009) The ecological role of the mammalian mesocarnivore. Bioscience 59:165–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Rood JP (I986) Ecology and social evolution in the mongooses. In: Rubenstein DI, Wrangham RW (eds) Ecological aspects of social evolution. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 131–152

  • Rowe-Rowe D (1992) The carnivores of Natal. Natal Parks Board, Pietermaritzburg

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe-Rowe D (1994) The ungulates of Natal. Natal Parks Board, Pietermaritzburg

    Google Scholar 

  • RStudio T (2015) RStudio: integrated development for R. RStudio, Inc., Boston, MA. http://www.rstudio.com. Accessed 10 May 2018

  • Šálek M, Drahníková L, Tkadlec E (2015) Changes in home range sizes and population densities of carnivore species along the natural to urban habitat gradient. Mamm Rev 45:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Signer J, Balkenhol N (2015) Reproducible home ranges (rhr): a new, user-friendly R package for analyses of wildlife telemetry data. Wildl Soc Bull 39:358–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Sih A, Ferrari MC, Harris DJ (2011) Evolution and behavioural responses to human-induced rapid environmental change. Evol Appl 4:367–387

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner JD, Chimimba CT (2005) The mammals of the southern African sub-region, 3rd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 872

    Google Scholar 

  • Suraci JP, Clinchy M, Dill LM, Roberts D, Zanette LY (2016) Fear of large carnivores causes a trophic cascade. Nat Comm 7:10698

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor ME (1970) Locomotion in some East African viverrids. J Mammal 51:42–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D, Clark M, Williams DR, Kimmel K, Polasky S, Packer C (2017) Future threats to biodiversity and pathways to their prevention. Nature 546:73–81

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tomkiewicz SM, Fuller MR, Kie JG, Bates KK (2010) Global positioning system and associated technologies in animal behaviour and ecological research. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 365:2163–2176

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanathan GM, Da Luz MG, Raposo EP, Stanley HE (2011) The physics of foraging: an introduction to random searches and biological encounters. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 179

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, Mooney HA, Lubchenco J, Melillo JM (1997) Human domination of Earth's ecosystems. Science 277:494–499

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walter WD, Fischer JW, Baruch-Mordo S, VerCauteren KC (2011) What is the proper method to delineate home range of an animal using today’s advanced GPS telemetry systems: the initial step. In: Krejcar O (ed) Modern telemetry. IntechOpen, pp 249–268

  • Waser PM, Waser MS (1985) Ichneumia albicauda and the evolution of viverrid gregariousness. Ethology 68:137–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Waser PM, Elliott LF, Creel NM, Creel SR (1995) Habitat variation and mongoose demography. In: Sinclair ARE, Arcese P (eds) Serengeti II: dynamics, management, and conservation of an ecosystem. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 421–448

    Google Scholar 

  • White PS, Walker JL (1997) Approximating nature's variation: selecting and using reference information in restoration ecology. Restor Ecol 5:338–349

    Google Scholar 

  • Widdows CD, Downs CT (2015) A genet drive-through: are large spotted genets using urban areas for “fast food”? a dietary analysis. Urban Ecosyst 18:907–920

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong B, Candolin U (2015) Behavioral responses to changing environments. Behav Ecol 26:665–673

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe R, Thirgood S, Rabinowitz A (2005) People and wildlife, conflict or co-existence?. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 516

    Google Scholar 

  • Worton BJ (1989) Kernel methods for estimating the utilization distribution in home-range studies. Ecology 70:164–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziegler S, Nikolaus G, Hutterer R (2002) High mammalian diversity in the newly established National Park of Upper Niger, Republic of Guinea. Oryx 36:73–80

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the National Research Foundation (SFH180530337163; 98404) (ZA), the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (20616/01) (ZA), the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust (ZA) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (GC Weightman Scholarship) (ZA) for their financial support. The Ford Wildlife Foundation (ZA) kindly provided vehicle support. Veterinarians Dr. M. De Villiers, Dr. D. Gibbs, Dr. R. van Deventer are thanked for their continued assistance and advice during immobilising and collaring of the three mongoose species. We would also like to acknowledge the land managers: B. Roth of Tillietudlem, G. Powell and D. Forsyth of Mbona Nature Reserve and J. von Rooyen of Dalcrue; who allowed us to work and capture mongooses on their properties. Finally, JPS would like to thank M. Streicher for her assistance with fieldwork and input during the writeup of the study. We are grateful for the constructive comments of the reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Jarryd P. Streicher, Tharmalingam Ramesh & Colleen T. Downs

  2. Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikatty Post, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India

    Tharmalingam Ramesh

Authors
  1. Jarryd P. Streicher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tharmalingam Ramesh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Colleen T. Downs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colleen T. Downs.

Additional information

Handling editor: Vera Rduch.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 26 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Streicher, J.P., Ramesh, T. & Downs, C.T. Home range and core area utilisation of three co-existing mongoose species: large grey, water and white-tailed in the fragmented landscape of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Mamm Biol 100, 273–283 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-020-00028-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-020-00028-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation