Scent-marking behaviour of the honey badger, Mellivora capensis (Mustelidae), in the southern Kalahari

Begg, Colleen; Begg, Keith S.; Toit, Du; Mills, M. G. L.

doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2223

Cited by 97 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Latrine sites typically comprise several feces, are visited at regular intervals (Roper et al 1993, Kilshaw et al 2009), anddepending on the social organization of the species concerned-are often used by more than one individual (Buesching and Macdonald 2001). Investigations into latrine use are generally limited to territorial defense (Begg et al 2003, Jordan et al 2007, Kilshaw et al 2009), often at the expense of fully evaluating other, not mutually exclusive functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox

et al. 2015

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2015. Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox.Ecosphere 6(1):19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00155.1Abstract. Many carnivores use latrines, and investigations of latrine use have typically been concerned with territorial defense, often at the expense of fully evaluating other, not mutually exclusive, functions. In particular, the relationship between food abundance and latrine use patterns has been explored inadequately, where latrine location may be used to aid spatial memory, to stake a claim on access to temporally variable food resources, or to signal the local depletion of resources. Little is known about the hog badger (Arctonyx collaris), however the consensus is that they are solitary, but nonetheless deposit their feces in latrines, but without any group-territory defense function. This provides an ideal study system to investigate how temporal and spatial variation in latrine use strategy is associated with food resource availability throughout the year. We use generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) and an informationtheoretic approach to test the hypothesis that seasonal latrine use patterns signal the resources most valued (i.e., the foraging book keeping hypothesis). We found that latrine use showed significant seasonal and habitat-related variations, where the number of feces per latrine reached seasonal maxima in early summer but was lowest in autumn, and was significantly higher in logged forest and selectively logged forest but lowest in farmland. The intensity of latrine use exhibited a significant negative relationship with environmental food abundance, and was related to dietary output (fecal contents). That is, hog badgers invested most in 'marking' those more limited resources, concurring with the scarce factor paradox, which asserts that the value of any commodity is a function of its rarity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox

et al. 2015

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“…Several species of mustelid, including the Eurasian river otter, are known to have both types of gland (Hutchings and White 2000;Kruuk 2006). Body rubbing is a well-established form of scentmarking among mustelids including stoats (Mustela ermine L. 1758), weasels (Mustela nivalis L. 1766), ferrets (Mustela furo), and honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) (Erlinge et al 1982;Clapperton 1989;Begg et al 2003). Erlinge et al (1982) described body rubbing as animals rubbing the belly and front-lateral body regions against vegetation or bare ground.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication stations: cameras reveal river otter (Lontra canadensis) behavior and activity patterns at latrines

Green

Monick

Manjerovic

et al. 2015

J Ethol

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Little is known about the behaviors river otters (Lontra canadensis) commonly exhibit when visiting latrine sites. By use of video data we constructed an ethogram to describe and quantify latrine behaviors. The most common behaviors were standing (20.5 %) and sniffing (18.6 %), lending support to the hypothesis that latrines are used for olfactory communication. Surprisingly, defecation was rarely observed (1.4 %); body rubbing occurred more than defecation (10.5 %). It is possible that, in addition to feces, urine, and anal jelly, river otters use body rubbing to scent mark. To monitor site use, we determined seasonal, monthly, and daily visitation rates and calculated visit duration. River otters most frequently visited the latrine in the winter (December and January) but the longest visits occurred in the fall. Very few visits were recorded during the summer. Latrines were most often visited at night, but nocturnal and diurnal visit durations were not different. River otters were more likely to visit the latrine and engage in a specific behavior rather than travel straight through the site. Our data supported the idea that river otters are primarily solitary mammals, with most latrine visits by single otters. However, we documented groups of up to 4 individuals using the area, and group visits lasted longer than solitary visits. Therefore, whether visits are solitary or social, latrine sites are likely to act as communication stations to transmit information between individuals.

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“…The Kalahari is the ideal location to study small carnivores, such as African wildcats, because the openness of the environment makes it possible to follow them, even at night (Begg 2001;Mills 2003). Although there were large individual differences between the times needed to habituate individuals (Table 3), it was possible to collect data on feeding, hunting, reproduction and mating behaviour of African wildcats (Herbst & Mills 2010;Herbst, unpublished).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The open, clear spaces of the Kalahari provide ideal conditions for visual observation of animals (Begg 2001;Mills 2003), although the stealthy nature of cats, especially at night, required close proximity to the focal animal at all times. All radio collared cats were habituated to the presence of the research vehicle, allowing the researchers to closely follow individual cats without any obvious influence on their behaviour.…”

Section: Habituationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techniques used in the study of African wildcat, <i>Felis silvestris cafra</i>, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa/Botswana)

Herbst

Mills²

2010

Koedoe

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The techniques used for the capture, marking and habituation of African wildcats (Felis silvestris cafra) in the Kalahari are described and evaluated in this paper. African wildcats were captured, with either baited cage traps or chemical immobilisation through darting. Darting proved to be a more efficient and less stressful way of capturing cats. Very high frequency (VHF) radio collars fitted with activity monitors were especially effective in the open habitat of the Kalahari for locating and maintaining contact with cats; they also aided in determining if the cats were active or resting in dense vegetation. The habituation of individual cats to a 4×4 vehicle proved to be time consuming, but it provided a unique opportunity to investigate the feeding ecology and spatial organisation of cats through direct visual observations. Conservation implications:In describing and comparing the various methods of capture, handling and release of the African wildcats that we followed during our study in the southern Kalahari, we recommend the most efficient, least stressful method for researchers to follow -both in relation to time and energy, as well as in terms of the impact on the animals being studied.

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Scent-marking behaviour of the honey badger, Mellivora capensis (Mustelidae), in the southern Kalahari

Cited by 97 publications

References 37 publications

Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox

Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) latrine use in relation to food abundance: evidence of the scarce factor paradox

Communication stations: cameras reveal river otter (Lontra canadensis) behavior and activity patterns at latrines

Techniques used in the study of African wildcat, <i>Felis silvestris cafra</i>, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa/Botswana)

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