Suburban ecology of the crested porcupine in a heavily poached area: a global approach

Lovari, Sandro; Corsini, Maria; Guazzini, Barbara; Romeo, Giorgia; Mori, Emiliano

doi:10.1007/s10344-016-1075-0

Cited by 39 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Although it has been observed that crop damage by this species usually occurs only in small, private vegetable gardens, this finding is only based on farmers' complaints and not on information about the actual diet of this large rodent (Laurenzi et al 2016). Data on the diet of crested porcupines rely mainly on two studies carried out in a deciduous woodland area, where agricultural patches were absent (Bruno & Riccardi 1995), and in a suburban area (Lovari et al 2017). According to these papers, crested porcupines in Italy adopt a generalist strategy, consuming a variety of food resources according to their seasonal availability (Bruno & Riccardi 1995;Lovari et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data on the diet of crested porcupines rely mainly on two studies carried out in a deciduous woodland area, where agricultural patches were absent (Bruno & Riccardi 1995), and in a suburban area (Lovari et al 2017). According to these papers, crested porcupines in Italy adopt a generalist strategy, consuming a variety of food resources according to their seasonal availability (Bruno & Riccardi 1995;Lovari et al 2017). Fruits growing on the lowest branches of trees and bushes, as well as those fallen on the ground, represented an important component of the diet of this rodent (Lovari et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding habits of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. 1758 (Mammalia, Rodentia) in a Mediterranean area of Central Italy

Mori

Bozzi

Laurenzi

2017

The European Zoological Journal

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Old World porcupines are widely recorded as being agricultural pests throughout their distribution range. Despite being legally protected in Italy, the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is extensively poached for its meat as well as for complained crop damages. In this work, we analysed the diet of crested porcupines in a Mediterranean coastal area surrounded by agricultural patches. Feeding habits of this species were assessed throughout the year through faecal analysis. Underground vegetal organs were the staple of the diet of this large rodent in both cold and warm months. Fruits were consumed mainly in cold months (hard epicarp species, e.g. acorns and pine nuts). In warm months, agricultural products, e.g. sunflowers, cereals and watermelons, were mostly consumed. Patterns of food consumption are consistent with a study on habitat selection by crested porcupine within the same study area. According to this previous study, the Mediterranean "macchia" represents a poor habitat in terms of food resources and it is selected only in cold months, when porcupines mainly feed on underground storage organs of woodland plants. During the summer, porcupines are forced to travel long distances to search for other food categories, e.g. cultivated species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding habits of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. 1758 (Mammalia, Rodentia) in a Mediterranean area of Central Italy

Mori

Bozzi

Laurenzi

2017

The European Zoological Journal

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“…The Pleistocenic ungulate communities of open areas of Central Asia and Central Africa, where Old World porcupines may have speciated, were very rich in species, for example, 48 species of Bovidae and 14 species of Equidae (Kappelman et al, 1997;Steele, 2007;Bernor et al, 2010;Gentry, 2010). As a consequence of potential competitor presence, porcupines may have adapted to feed on underground plant organs (Alkon & Saltz, 1988;Pillay et al, 2017;Akram, Ilyas & Haleem, 2017;Lovari et al, 2017), which require large skulls to be chewed. At northern latitudes (e.g.…”

Section: Bergmann's Rulementioning

confidence: 99%

“…At northern latitudes (e.g. North Africa, Southern Europe), where few competing wild herbivores occur, Old World porcupines exploited food-rich habitats, which might explain the consumption of epigeal wild plants and fruits (Lovari et al, 2017;Mori, Bozzi & Laurenzi, 2017), and this tropic habit may require a smaller skull size (cf. Barnett, 1976).…”

Section: Bergmann's Rulementioning

confidence: 99%

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Skull shape and Bergmann's rule in mammals: hints from Old World porcupines

et al. 2019

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The genus Hystrix includes eight species of porcupines distributed in Eurasia and Africa, across a broad latitudinal gradient. Our aim was to assess whether porcupine skulls: (1) allow for a reliable interspecific distinction; (2) change in size proportionally with body size; (3) follow the Bergmann's rule. We measured 235 Hystrix skulls from museums and private collections. We tested for differences in skull size and we assessed whether variability in skull shape allows species recognition through a multivariate approach. All Hystrix species considered could be reliably identified by skull shape. Skull size was correlated with body size and species differed in skull shape and size, with skulls of Hystrix javanica and Hystrix africaeaustralis being respectively the smallest and the largest ones. Within Hystrix cristata, the Mediterranean and the sub‐Saharan clades differed for both skull size and shape. Using skull size, we could distinguish among African, mainland Italian and Sicilian populations. Skull size of this species decreased in size for increasing latitude values, contrary to prediction by the Bergmann's rule. Such latitudinal pattern may depend on the adaption of H. cristata to Equatorial African conditions, where the species evolved. In Italy (where H. cristata was introduced in the VI Century AD) and in North Africa, a smaller body size may be due to the local climate, or to a ‘founder effect’.

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The bone collector: temporal patterns of bone-gnawing behaviour define osteophagia as a female prerogative in a large rodent

Mori

Lovari

Mazza

2018

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Suburban ecology of the crested porcupine in a heavily poached area: a global approach

Cited by 39 publications

References 63 publications

Feeding habits of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. 1758 (Mammalia, Rodentia) in a Mediterranean area of Central Italy

Feeding habits of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. 1758 (Mammalia, Rodentia) in a Mediterranean area of Central Italy

Skull shape and Bergmann's rule in mammals: hints from Old World porcupines

The bone collector: temporal patterns of bone-gnawing behaviour define osteophagia as a female prerogative in a large rodent

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