Analysis of Felis Libyca and Genetta Genetta Scats from the Central Namib Desert, South West Africa

Stuart, C.T.

doi:10.1080/00445096.1977.11447567

Cited by 6 publications

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“…Young cats contributed to these communal latrines, which were relatively close to the common or core areas. Other studies of feral cats have reported faecal deposition along well-used paths and in several middens (Corbett 1979;Fitzgerald and Karl 1986), and similar latrine areas used by the African wildcat have been seen (Stuart 1977). With relatively limited space, elimination outside the core may necessitate some clumping of faeces nearer the perimeter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Methods of scent marking in the domestic cat

Feldman¹

1994

Can. J. Zool.

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Carnivores use various scent-marking methods. Semi-feral domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) were observed to use the same means as their wild counterparts. Adult males performed most urine spray marking. Cats scratched tree bark, producing a visual mark, and probably used trees both as markers and for claw sharpening. Most scratching trees were located along frequently used paths rather than along territorial boundaries or scattered randomly throughout a home range. Bark consistency affected the tree species that were scratched, with soft bark preferred. Although deposition of faeces and urine was recorded, there was no clear evidence for their use as territorial markers; cats primarily eliminated away from the core area of the home range. Most faeces were buried, although exposed deposits were also observed. Cats also rubbed against objects, probably using glandular secretions from the face and tail areas to scent mark. Males rubbed objects more than females, and males scent marked more. Individual males may use different means of scent marking. Scent marking in this study supports the idea that cats do not defend territories, instead patrolling and reinforcing marks throughout a looser home range. The suggestion has been made that different forms of marking may serve separate signalling functions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Methods of scent marking in the domestic cat

Feldman¹

1994

Can. J. Zool.

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“…Site.-Marking behavior plays an important part in the behavior of Genetta, which are nor mally solitary. They use latrine sites consistent ly over a long period (Stuart 1977), and the scat piles are often in depressions or thick bush (Car penter 1970). The sample which we have ana lyzed was accumulated in the shallow depres sions made by local farmers to lay out salt for their farm stock at Mosdene Nature Reserve, near Naboomspruit, Transvaal.…”

Section: Genetmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bones may be present in regurgitated pellets of birds (Chitty 1938;Southern 1954;Lockie 1955;Dare 1961;Simms 1961;McNally 1964;Dean 1973Dean , 1974Dean , 1975Glue 1970Glue , 1977Glue and Hammond 1974;Laurie 1971;Picozzi and Hewson 1970). Bones are also present in the scats or feces of many mammalian predators (Southern and Watson 1941;Andersen 1954;Lockie 1959Lockie , 1961Day 1968;Carpenter 1970;Poole 1970;Rood 1975;Stuart 1977;Watson 1976;Mac-Donald 1979;Lloyd 1980). The degree of con centration of pellets or scats is a function of the behavior of the predators, for some mammals habitually use latrines (Kruuk 1978;Bearder and Randall 1978), mark their home ranges with their scats (Lockie 1966;MacDonald 1979), or accumulate scats near their den entrances (Poole 1970).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small mammal bone accumulations produced by mammalian carnivores

1983

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Small mammal bone assemblages from the scats of three families of mammalian carnivores are described here as a means of assessing paleontological bone assemblages. These are the Viverridae, Canidae, and Mustelidae. Marking behavior by the carnivores or their use of latrine areas can produce concentrations of bone comparable with those produced from owl pellets, but the nature of the bone assemblages is very different. Skeletal element preservation has a characteristic pattern related to the relative strength of the individual elements, so that the strongest elements are the ones that best survive the physical abrasion of the predator's teeth. Bone breakage is greatest in canids and least in some viverrids. Digestion of the bone occurs to a certain extent with all carnivores, with moderate rounding but little corrosion of either bones or teeth in viverrid-derived bone assemblages, very great rounding and severe corrosion of bone and tooth enamel (but little corrosion of tooth dentine) in canids, and moderate rounding and slight to moderate corrosion of bone and tooth dentine (but less of enamel) in mustelid-derived bone assemblages. Tooth marks are generally rare except in canid-derived bone assemblages. These patterns may enable the identification of predators responsible for the accumulation of fossil predator assemblages, and a consideration of the hunting and other behavior of that type of predator then permit the identification of possible biases in the fossil fauna. In the viverrids, for instance, the mongoose selected for large prey size and against cranial elements, while the genet took all prey sizes available to it and all body parts. Larger canids such as foxes and coyotes took both large and small species, but proportionally more of the most common prey species were present. Skulls were underrepresented. The small canid, the bat-eared fox, selected for the smallest prey species available to it but took all body parts. Mustelids took all sizes of prey, although not necessarily in proportion to their abundance in the habitat, and large species were underrepresented. If the predator type is known, therefore, for a fossil assemblage, these biases can be taken into account in assessing the paleoecological significance of the fauna. An example from the Olduvai Pleistocene deposits is given.

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“…Data on small carnivore diets collected elsewhere in Africa strongly resemble those collected here. For instance, many authors concur that insects, especially termites, dominate the diets of aardwolves, white-tailed mongooses, bat-eared foxes and aardvarks, and that wild cats, marsh mongooses and common genets, Genetta genetta (L.), favour small vertebrates or large invertebrates (Carpenter, 1970;Dorst & Dandelot, 1970;Ewer, 1973;Kingdon, 1977;Nel, 1978;Rosevear, 1974;Stuart, 1977;Viljoen & Davis, 1973). Where quantitative data on stomach contents or scats are reported, they tend to support these assertions.…”

Section: Population Densitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small nocturnal carnivores: ecological studies in the Serengeti

Waser

1980

African Journal of Ecology

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Summary Small nocturnal carnivores (particularly bat‐eared fox, aardwolf, white‐tailed mongoose and common genet) attain high population densities in several areas within the Serengeti. Comparative studies of activity patterns, microhabitat preferences, foraging behaviour and diet indicate surprisingly broad overlap among these species along the niche dimensions investigated. The high population densities attained by small carnivores, combined with their small size and correspondingly high metabolic demands, suggest that their ecological role is not as inconspicuous as they are. Résumé Des petits carnivores nocturnes (particuliérement l'otocyon, le protèe, la mangouste à queue blanche et la genette commune) atteignent des densités de population élevées dans diverses zones du Serengeti. Des études comparatives des actogrammes, des préférences de micro‐habitat, du comportement de déprédation et du régime ali‐mentaire montrent, pour ces espéces, un recouvrement étonnamment large des niches écologiques considérées? Les fortes densités de population atteintes par les petits carnivores, leur petite taille et les besoins métaboliques élevés liés à celle‐ci suggèrent que leur rôle écologique n'est pas aussi effacé qu'ils le sont.

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Analysis of Felis Libyca and Genetta Genetta Scats from the Central Namib Desert, South West Africa

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Methods of scent marking in the domestic cat

Methods of scent marking in the domestic cat

Small mammal bone accumulations produced by mammalian carnivores

Small nocturnal carnivores: ecological studies in the Serengeti

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