In species where sociality and group cohesion are primarily determined by the maintenance of a reproductive division of labour and cooperative behaviours, the eusocial Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) presents a ...
Lundgren, Erick J.; Bergman, Juraj; Trepel, Jonas; Le Roux, Elizabeth; Monsarrat, Sophie; Kristensen, Jeppe Aagaard; Pedersen, Rasmus Østergaard; Pereyra, Patricio; Tietje, Melanie; Svenning, Jens-Christian(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2024-02)
Large mammalian herbivores (megafauna) have experienced extinctions and declines since prehistory. Introduced megafauna have partly counteracted these losses yet are thought to have unusually negative effects on plants ...
Steele, Zachary T.; Pienaar, Elizabeth Frances(Routledge, 2023)
Management of invasive alien species (IAS) depends on public awareness and cooperation, which may be increased by effective IAS education by zoos. We administered a questionnaire to visitors (n = 221) and educators (n = 44) ...
Pangolins form a group of scaly mammals that are trafficked at record numbers for their meat and purported medicinal properties. Despite their conservation concern, knowledge of their evolution is limited by a paucity of ...
In Africa, nothing inspires fear more than lions. They are large, hunt in groups and kill prey much larger than themselves. Yet, evidence suggests that African wildlife are more afraid of humans than anything else that ...
Pretorius, Mariette(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2024-03)
SIGNIFICANCE : The scarcity of bat fossils in Africa poses a significant challenge to both scientific understanding and current
conservation efforts. While this article engages in informed speculation regarding the reasons ...
Pratt, Elizabeth N.; Lockwood, Julie L.; King, Elizabeth G.; Pienaar, Elizabeth Frances(Wiley, 2024-04)
Regulatory inconsistencies at different jurisdictional levels have contributed to the global expansion of the exotic pet trade, with resultant increases in the spread of invasive species and pathogens. Researchers have ...
Dejeante, Romain; Loveridge, Andrew J.; Macdonald, David W.; Madhlamoto, Daphine; Valeix, Marion; Chamaille-Jammes, Simon(Wiley, 2024-02)
Animal social and spatial behaviours are inextricably linked. Animal movements are driven by environmental factors and social interactions. Habitat structure and changing patterns of animal space use can also shape social ...
Oosthuysen, Morne; Strauss, W. Maartin; Somers, Michael J.(South African National Biodiversity Institute, 2023-07-17)
BACKGROUND : Much of the Grassland Biome in South Africa is prone to shrub encroachment, leading to loss of ecosystem services, habitat heterogeneity and species diversity. Burrowing mammals are an important component of ...
Oosthuizen, Tasha; Pillay, Neville; Oosthuizen, Maria Kathleen(Taylor and Francis, 2024)
Urbanization, and the accompanying artificial light at night (ALAN), can disrupt the activity of animals. Such disruptions at the base of a food web can ripple through the ecosystem. Most studies of ALAN are performed in ...
Mammals have evolved to occupy spatial and temporal niches in order to optimize resource utilization and minimize predation risk or competition. Subsequently, niche partitioning may be influenced by phylogenetic associations, ...
Fletcher Jr, Robert J.; O’Brien, Amanda; Hall, Timothy F.; Jones, Maggie; Potash, Alex D.; Kruger, Laurence; Simelane, Phumlile; Roques, Kim; Monadjem, Ara; McCleery, Robert A.(Royal Society, 2023-10)
Animals are faced with a variety of dangers or threats, which are increasing
in frequency with ongoing environmental change. While our understanding
of fearfulness of such dangers is growing in the context of predation ...
Arid-dwelling mammals are exposed to extreme daily temperatures, which puts these mammals at risk of overheating and dehydration, particularly while active, these risks are increased as the body size is reduced. Consequently, ...
The detoxification limitation hypothesis posits that, unless plant defense compounds interact synergistically or additively to increase their harmful effects, generalist herbivores will prefer consuming combinations of ...
Abraham, Andrew J.; Duvall, Ethan S.; Le Roux, Elizabeth; Ganswindt, Andre; Clauss, Marcus; Doughty, Christopher E.; Webster, Andrea B.(Elsevier, 2023-08)
In nutrient-poor wildlife reserves it has become common-practice to provide supplemental mineral resources for
wildlife. Yet, the impacts of anthropogenic mineral supplementation on large herbivore nutrition, behaviour, ...
Abundance and trait-driven processes have both been identified as potential mechanisms in determining the occurrence of species
interactions. However, little is known about how these two mechanisms interact to determine ...
Lemerle, Marie Anna; Wiesel, Ingrid; Somers, Michael J.(Routledge, 2024)
This study examined the daily and monthly activity patterns of brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea) and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) at a Cape fur seal colony in southern Namibia, to provide recommendations for developing ...
Allen, Benjamin L.; Bobier, Christopher; Dawson, Stuart; Fleming, Peter J.S.; Hampton, Jordan; Jachowski, David; Kerley, Graham I.H.; Linnell, John D.C.; Marnewick, Kelly; Minnie, Liaan; Muthersbaugh, Mike; O'Riain, M. Justin; Parker, Dan; Proulx, Gilbert; Somers, Michael J.; Titus, Keifer(Elsevier, 2023-10)
Killing animals has been a ubiquitous human behaviour throughout history, yet it is becoming increasingly controversial and criticised in some parts of contemporary human society. Here we review 10 primary reasons why ...