Consumption of hyaena faeces and artificial mineral licks by leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) in a low-nutrient environment

Please be advised that the site will be down for maintenance on Sunday, September 1, 2024, from 08:00 to 18:00, and again on Monday, September 2, 2024, from 08:00 to 09:00. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Abraham, Andrew J.
dc.contributor.author Louw, Mattheus L.H.
dc.contributor.author Van Dijk, Laurene M.
dc.contributor.author Webster, Andrea B.
dc.date.accessioned 2024-07-30T09:43:38Z
dc.date.available 2024-07-30T09:43:38Z
dc.date.issued 2024-09
dc.description DATA AVAILABITY STATEMENT: Select videos captured during fieldwork are available to watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxktyA1W6MQ. en_US
dc.description.abstract Hyaena faeces and mineral licks represent highly concentrated nutrient resources for leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) living in nutrient-poor environments. Here, we provide direct evidence for the consumption of hyaena faeces and artificial mineral licks by leopard tortoises in the Kalahari Desert. Tortoises aggregated at hyaena latrines and lick sites during the wet season between 10 AM and 6 PM in groups of 1–5 individuals. Where both salt and mineral licks were available, tortoises displayed a preference for salt. We suggest that calcium, phosphorus and sodium deficits are likely driving coprophagy and geophagy behaviours by tortoises in the Kalahari. en_US
dc.description.department Mammal Research Institute en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-02:Zero Hunger en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-15:Life on land en_US
dc.description.sponsorship HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions. en_US
dc.description.uri https://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aje en_US
dc.identifier.citation Abraham, A.J., Louw, M.L.H., Van Dijk, L.M., & Webster, A.B. (2024). Consumption of hyaena faeces and artificial mineral licks by leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) in a low-nutrient environment. African Journal of Ecology, 62, e13308. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13308. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0141-6707 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1365-2028 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1111/aje.13308
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97324
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Wiley en_US
dc.rights © 2024 The Author(s). African Journal of Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. en_US
dc.subject Kalahari en_US
dc.subject Mineral lick en_US
dc.subject Nutrition en_US
dc.subject Tortoise en_US
dc.subject Leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) en_US
dc.subject Hyaena faeces en_US
dc.subject Artificial mineral licks en_US
dc.subject SDG-02: Zero hunger en_US
dc.subject SDG-15: Life on land en_US
dc.title Consumption of hyaena faeces and artificial mineral licks by leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) in a low-nutrient environment en_US
dc.type Article en_US


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record