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Spotted Hyena skull size variation across geography favors the energetic equivalence rule over Bergmann’s Rule J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-24 Cybil N Cavalieri, Teresa L McElhinny, Kay E Holekamp, Barbara L Lundrigan
Much historic work has focused on establishing geographical and ecological rules that broadly explain patterns in size variation. We examined geographic variation in Spotted Hyena skull size using geometric morphometrics and spatial statistics. We quantified size variation and sexual size dimorphism of the skull, and evaluated the influence of temperature, precipitation, land cover type, and population
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Microhabitat selection by the Oscura Mountains Colorado Chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis): an old-growth pinyon–juniper woodland specialist J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-20 Clare N O’Connell, Jennifer K Frey
Habitat specialists have been largely overlooked in old-growth pinyon–juniper woodlands, despite specialists exhibiting heightened sensitivity to anthropogenic habitat loss. Furthermore, small mammal relationships within pinyon–juniper woodlands have most commonly been investigated via species abundance or habitat use, rather than habitat selection, thereby providing limited management metrics. We
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Forbs, graminoids, and lepidopterans: breadth and seasonal variation in the diet of the New Mexico jumping mouse (Zapus luteus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-20 Daniel E Sanchez, Austin L Dikeman, Jacque A Lyman, Jennifer Zahratka, Viacheslav Fofanov, Faith M Walker, Carol L Chambers
The New Mexico Jumping Mouse (Zapus luteus) is a federally endangered granivore active for only 3 to 5 months annually. Knowledge of diet can help guide habitat recovery and yet despite calls for restoration of its riparian habitat, the diet of Z. luteus remains largely unknown. To date, only 8 plant species have been described in the diet—whereas insectivory, mycophagy, and dietary shifts have only
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The structure of Congolese shrew ensembles: competition and spatial variation in resource abundance J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-17 Frederik Van de Perre, Michael R Willig, Steven J Presley, Herwig Leirs, Erik Verheyen
Interspecific competition, environmental filtering, or spatial variation in productivity can contribute to positive or negative spatial covariance in the abundances of species across ensembles (i.e., groups of interacting species defined by geography, resource use, and taxonomy). In contrast, density compensation should give rise to a negative relationship between ecomorphological similarity and abundance
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A metabarcoding assessment of the diet of the insectivorous bats of Madeira Island, Macaronesia J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-09 Angelina Gonçalves, Eva K Nóbrega, Hugo Rebelo, Vanessa A Mata, Ricardo Rocha
Understanding the trophic structure of species assemblages is crucial in order to comprehend how syntropic species coexist in space and time. Bats are the second most taxonomically diverse group of mammals and display a wide range of dietary strategies. Due to their ability to disperse over water, ca. 60% of all extant bat species occur on islands and for the most part their interspecific ecological
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Scanning efficacy of p-Chips implanted in the wing and leg of the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-06 Shane D I Seheult, Raj Panchal, Alex V Borisenko, Patrick J Bennett, Paul A Faure
Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)—a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder—as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We assessed
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Characterizing diurnal roosts of male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during summer J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-06 Shannon L Hilty, Andrea R Litt, Bryce A Maxell, Claire N Gower, Robert A Garrott, Lauri Hanauska-Brown
Shelter is one critical aspect of an animal’s habitat, providing refuge from predators and weather, protection for offspring, and aiding in physiological homeostasis. During the day, bats find shelter in roosts—spaces created under tree bark, in tree cavities, or between rocks—after spending the night searching for food. Finding a roost with a microclimate that enables bats to remain in their thermoneutral
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A new species of Ctenomys (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae) from the pre-Andean regions of Mendoza Province, Argentina J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Mauro N Tammone
The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Hystricomorpha) includes an impressive diversity of species, all of which have evolved in southern South America. The number of recognized species is currently approaching 70. During the last few decades, taxonomic revisions and new field collections have resulted in both the description of new species and the synonymization of others, suggesting that much of the alpha
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Phylogeography, systematics, and conservation status of pocket mice (Chaetodipus) of the Sonoran–Sinaloan thorn forest J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 David J Hafner, Jessica E Light, Sean A Neiswenter, Krymsen L Hernandez, Brett R Riddle
Three species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus artus, C. goldmani, and C. pernix) characterize the Sinaloan subregion of the Sonoran regional desert. They occur primarily in Sinaloan thornscrub and monsoon (dry deciduous) forest biotic communities, both of which have suffered from agricultural conversion. Sinaloan thornscrub occurs along the coastal plains of southern Sonora and Sinaloa, México, and grades
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Effect of rainfall on white rhino calf survival depends on home range choice of the mother J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-04-02 Christoffel J de Lange, Olivier Bonnet, Adrian M Shrader
Within African savannas, seasonal rainfall influences the survival of mammalian grazers by determining the availability and quality of food. The strength of these effects may, however, vary depending on the availability of reserve and buffer resources within the home range of an individual. From 1999 to 2019, 24% of the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) calves born in Ithala Game Reserve died
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Sex and landscape influence spatial genetic variation in a large fossorial mammal, the Bare-nosed Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-27 Woei Jiun Tan, Scott Carver, Alynn M Martin, Nicholas M Fountain-Jones, Kirstin M Proft, Christopher P Burridge
Dispersal is an important process that is widely studied across species, and it can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors commonly assessed include the sex and age of individuals, while landscape features are frequently-tested extrinsic factors. Here, we investigated the effects of both sex and landscape composition and configuration on genetic distances among bare-nosed
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Diurnal activity in an insectivorous bat during migration period J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-20 Radek K Lučan, Tomáš Bartonička
Diurnal flight activity in otherwise strictly nocturnal bats has typically been linked to random disturbance from day roosts, an urgent need to balance food shortage caused by adverse weather during nighttime, or the absence of diurnal predators. However, migration may be another reason why bats fly during daylight, at least in some areas. Using community-science data collection, we obtained more than
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Variation in dental morphology and dietary breadth in primates and their kin J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-19 Keegan R Selig, Malcolm S Ramsay, Rebecca Lahosky, Lauren Schroeder, Mary T Silcox
Sympatric animals may consume diets of differing breadths as a strategy to reduce competition. Studying patterns of dietary breadth in extinct taxa is difficult because available data are generally limited to morphology. Dental topographic analysis (DTA) is useful for comparing occlusal morphology and allows for examination of dietary adaptations in extinct taxa. What remains unknown is how dental
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Genome-wide data support recognition of an additional species of Neotropical river otter (Mammalia, Mustelidae, Lutrinae) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-19 Vera de Ferran, Henrique Vieira Figueiró, Cristine Silveira Trinca, Pablo César Hernández-Romero, Gustavo P Lorenzana, Carla Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Eduardo Eizirik
Cryptic biodiversity continues to be revealed worldwide, even in apparently well-known groups such as carnivorans. The Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) presents shape variation in its nose pad, a character that has been used to differentiate species in this group. Based on this, 3 subspecies are recognized: L. l. annectens (Mexico, Central America, and South America west of the Andes), L. l.
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Two new species of brush-tailed mouse, genus Calomyscus (Rodentia: Calomyscidae), from the Iranian Plateau J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Elham Rezazadeh, Hessamodin Zali, Faraham Ahmadzadeh, Roohollah Siahsarvie, C William Kilpatrick, Ryan W Norris, Mansour Aliabadian
The monogeneric family Calomyscidae includes the brush-tailed mice, genus Calomyscus, which have a Palearctic distribution ranging from the Hindu Kush Mountains in western Pakistan to the eastern Mediterranean region. Zagros Mountains—stretching from northwest to south of Iran—was assumed for long as the range of a single species, Calomyscus bailwardi; however, recent studies revealed considerable
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The post-emergence period for denning polar bears: phenology and influence on cub survival J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-03 Erik M Andersen, Ryan R Wilson, Karyn D Rode, George M Durner, Todd C Atwood, David D Gustine
Among polar bears (Ursus maritimus), only parturient females den for extended periods, emerging from maternal dens in spring after having substantially depleted their energy reserves during a fast that can exceed 8 months. Although den emergence coincides with a period of increasing prey availability, polar bears typically do not depart immediately to hunt, but instead remain at the den for up to a
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The first living cervid species described in the 21st century and revalidation of Pudella (Artiodactyla) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Javier Barrio, Eliécer E Gutiérrez, Guillermo D’Elía
Several issues regarding the systematics and taxonomy of the Neotropical deer tribe Odocoileini, an assemblage of 18 recognized living species currently allocated into 7 genera, remain unclear. The few available phylogenetic analyses indicate that some genera are not monophyletic and that species richness in the group is underestimated. One genus that presents both problems are the stocky and short-legged
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A new Mexican endemic species of yellow-eared bat in the genus Vampyressa (Phyllostomidae, Stenodermatinae) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Guilherme S T Garbino, Giovani Hernández-Canchola, Livia León-Paniagua, Valéria da C Tavares
Bats from the genus Vampyressa Thomas, 1900 are known from a relatively small number of individuals in Mexico. Through recent collecting efforts in southwestern Mexico, we detected several previously unknown populations of Vampyressa, which appeared to represent a lineage independent from but closely related to V. thyone. Here, we describe this lineage as a new species of the genus Vampyressa from
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Home range in genus Capra: from polygons to Brownian bridges of scabietic and healthy Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Marta Valldeperes, Roberto Pascual-Rico, Paulino Fandos, Ramón C Soriguer Escofet, Jesús M Pérez, Francisco J Cano-Manuel León, Paloma Prieto Yerro, Jorge Ramón López-Olvera, José Enrique Granados
Home range and home range overlap can be used to describe use of space and movement of wildlife. During the last years, advancements in technology have greatly improved our understanding of animal movement, especially among large herbivores. Wild ungulate abundance and distribution have increased in temperate areas. Moreover, their diseases—including sarcoptic mange in the Iberian Ibex (Capra pyrenaica)—have
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Comparative transcriptome profiling across 9 tissues in 2 pika species provides new insights and resources to interpret plateau adaptation J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Ruobing Zhang, Danping Mu, Xinlai Wu, Anderson Feijó, Zhixin Wen, Jilong Cheng, Lin Xia, Qisen Yang, Wenjuan Shan, Deyan Ge
As an endemic species of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, the Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) exhibits adaptation to the extremely high-altitude environment and possesses a number of distinct physiological characteristics. In order to explore potential mechanisms underlying the adaptation of plateau pikas, we investigate transcriptomic differences across tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle
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Genetic structuring of fishers in British Columbia, Canada: implications for population conservation and management J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Richard D Weir, Andrew M Rankin, Lacy Robinson, Kristine L Pilgrim, Michael K Schwartz, Michael K Lucid
In the westernmost Canadian province of British Columbia, fishers (Pekania pennanti) occur in low-elevation forested ecosystems in the central and northern portions of the province, with several substantial mountain ranges and rivers bisecting this distribution. The effect of these geographic features on gene flow and population structuring is unknown and may contribute to fishers differentiating into
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Unraveling the Myotis morass: ultraconserved-element analysis reveals introgression, cryptic diversity, and taxonomic trouble J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Jennifer M Korstian, Richard D Stevens, Thomas E Lee, Robert J Baker, David A Ray
Using sequences from 2,615 ultraconserved element (UCE) loci and multiple methodologies we inferred phylogenies for the largest genetic data set of New World bats in the genus Myotis to date. The resulting phylogenetic trees were populated with short branch lengths and widespread conflict, hallmarks consistent with rapid adaptive radiations. The degree of conflict observed in Myotis has likely contributed
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Summer habitat for the female Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) in Tennessee, United States J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Ashleigh B Cable, Emma V Willcox
The Tricolored Bat is an imperiled species due to white-nose syndrome. There is limited information available on roosting and foraging area use of the species to support planning and management efforts to benefit recovery in the Southeastern United States. Female tricolored bats exit hibernation and allocate energy toward disease recovery, migration, and reproduction. Providing and managing for summer
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Reproductive state alters vocal characteristics of female North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Alexander J Hare, Andrew G McAdam, Ben Dantzer, Jeffrey E Lane, Stan Boutin, Amy E M Newman
Female advertisement of reproductive state and receptivity has the potential to play a large role in the mating systems of many taxa, but investigations of this phenomenon are underrepresented in the literature. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are highly territorial and engage in scramble competition mating, with males converging from spatially disparate territories to engage
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Range expansion of a declining forest species, the Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus), into semiarid woodland J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Sean M Sultaire, Robert A Montgomery, Patrick J Jackson, Joshua J Millspaugh
Globally, animals that are range-restricted are frequently becoming species of conservation concern, in part due to competitive exclusion by phylogenetically and ecologically similar species that are more tolerant of human disturbance. However, climate and land use changes to natural landscapes can create pockets of refugia for range-restricted species. Western gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus) are
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Diversity of MHC class II DRB alleles in the Northern chamois genus Rupicapra J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Sunčica Stipoljev, Elena Buzan, Laura Iacolina, Toni Safner, Andrea Rezić, Ana Galov, Krešimir Križanović, Hüseyin Ambarlı, MariaCruz Arnal, Elmar Babaev, Ferdinand Bego, Attila Farkas, Dragan Gačić, Peter Lazar, Vladimir Maletić, Georgi Markov, Dragana Milošević, Haritakis Papaioannou, Massimo Scandura, Nikica Šprem
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are commonly used markers for monitoring adaptive genetic and evolutionary potential of species. In this study, we investigated genetic variation of the MHC class II DRB locus in the chamois genus Rupicapra by using next-generation sequencing. Sequencing of 102 samples led to the identification of 25 alleles, 11 of which are novel. The high ratio of the
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A drying climate and habitat availability drive extirpations of a southward advancing ground squirrel J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Austin L Nash, Christy M McCain
Ground squirrels act as important members of grassland ecosystems by serving as both ecosystem engineers and as a prey base for carnivores. There is mounting evidence that climate change is driving ground squirrel population declines. We resurveyed 54 historical localities throughout the Wyoming Basin and western Colorado where Wyoming Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus elegans) specimens were collected
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Landscape and farm environmental structure determinants of small mammal assemblages in agroecosystems of central Argentina J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Rodrigo Javier Alonso, Rosario Lovera, María Soledad Fernández, Regino Cavia
Natural processes and patterns are altered by human activity at different spatial and temporal scales, affecting species assemblages and population traits, modifying mechanisms or regulating dynamics at different scales. However, little is known about the influence of landscape structure on small mammal assemblages and populations on farms. Thus, in this work, we aimed to study the effect of landscape
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Using PIT tags to infer bat reproductive status and parturition date: busy nights during lactation J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Amélie Fontaine, Anouk Simard, Valérie Simard, Hugh G Broders, Kyle H Elliott
Passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) can aid in the collection of important demographic data for species for which other methods, such as GPS technology, are not suitable. PIT tags can be particularly suitable to monitor small and cryptic species like bats and permit inference on their behavioral ecology. Literature for several species of bats states that females change their nightly activity
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Effects of burn severity and postfire salvage logging on carnivore communities in montane forests J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Logan A Volkmann, Karen E Hodges
Wildfire and postfire salvage logging are major drivers of forest succession in western North America. Although postfire landscapes support a variety of carnivore species, it is unclear how these animals respond to differing patterns and severities of burning, or to additional landscape change from postfire salvage logging. Open, early-seral habitats created by these disturbances are predicted to benefit
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Determining abundance predictors of the European Hare (Lepus europaeus), a global invader in southeastern Brazil J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Nielson Pasqualotto, Larissa L Bailey, Danilo Boscolo, Thiago S F Silva, Nayra T Rodrigues, Bruno H Saranholi, Pedro M Galetti Jr., Marcella do Carmo Pônzio, Vinicius Alberici, Adriano G Chiarello
European Hare (Lepus europaeus), like many invasive species, have declined in much of their native range but flourished in non-native regions (e.g. South America). Previous studies suggested that loss of farmland heterogeneity due to agricultural intensification is the main driver of the species decline in its native range in Europe. Yet, little is known about the role of spatial and temporal heterogeneity
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Noninvasive EEG measurement of sleep in the family cat and comparison with the dog J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Anna Bálint, Vivien Reicher, Barbara Csibra, Márta Gácsi
We have successfully measured the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) of 12 family cats during an afternoon nap using a completely noninvasive methodology originally developed and validated for family dogs. Extracting both macrostructural and spectral sleep variables from the acquired data, we: (1) provided a descriptive analysis of sleep structure in cats and the power spectral density (PSD) distribution
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Latrine site selection by African clawless otters, Aonyx capensis, and their behavior during latrine visitations J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Stephanie G Nicolaides, Theodorus H C Mostert, Trevor McIntyre
Latrine sites are used as areas for the deposition of scent-containing excretions and play important roles in intraspecific olfactory communication, territoriality, sexual attraction, and defense behaviors of many mammals. African clawless otters (Aonyx capensis) likely use latrine sites as primary areas for scent marking and scent communication but no studies to date have investigated their potential
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Causes and consequences of pre-hibernation body mass in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Summer Howland, Caitlin P Wells, Dirk H Van Vuren
Mammals that cope with harsh environmental conditions by hibernating show seasonal variation in body mass, as fat reserves are accumulated during summer and depleted during winter. In hibernating species, pre-hibernation mass is often considered a key phenotypic trait that can influence future survival and reproductive success—yet we know little about how variation in environmental conditions and seasonality
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Beta diversity patterns in Andean rodents: current and historical factors as drivers of turnover and nestedness J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Agustina Novillo, Cecilia Lanzone, J Pablo Jayat, Pablo Teta, Agustina A Ojeda, Luciana Cristobal, Ricardo A Ojeda
The Andes are known to be one of the most species-rich regions on Earth, with their origination promoting formation of new habitats and acting as climatic barriers. This orogenic event was structured latitudinally with 3 major segments having different formation times and with different environmental and historical conditions. The Andean region has been historically important in the evolutionary history
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How does an urban landscape influence spatiotemporal ecology of South American coatis (Nasua nasua)? J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-08 Wanessa Teixeira Gomes Barreto, Gabriel Carvalho de Macedo, Filipe Martins Santos, Andreza Castro Rucco, Nayara Yoshie Sano, William Oliveira de Assis, Heitor Miraglia Herrera, Grasiela Edith de Oliveira Porfírio, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Oliveira-Santos
Increasing urbanization and consequent habitat fragmentation and loss call for studies of the influence of urbanization on native fauna. South American Coati (Procyonidae: Nasua nasua) live in groups and are common in urban areas of South America. Here, we aimed to understand how coatis occupy and select space, and whether they change their circadian activity in an urban environment. We estimated home
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Social media as a tool to understand the distribution and ecology of elusive mammals J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-02 Makabudi V Phakoago, Shane K Maloney, Peter R Kamerman, Leith C R Meyer, Nora M Weyer, Andrea Fuller
Comparatively little is known about the distribution and ecology of Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) and Temminck’s Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). Both are elusive species that are normally nocturnal, solitary, and fossorial. Formally collected records have been used to map the distribution of these species, and social media records provide a tool to gather information on their distribution and ecology
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Genetic footprints of Quaternary climatic fluctuations on the endangered Tuco-tuco-das-dunas (Ctenomys flamarioni) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Luiza Flores Gasparetto, Gabriela Paula Fernández, Cecilia Soledad Carnovale, Renan Maestri, Daniel Galiano, Willian Thomaz Peçanha, Bruno Busnello Kubiak, Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas
The biogeographic history of a species results from responses to past and current processes, and understanding those responses at both temporal scales is essential. We explored phylogeographic and current genetic variation structure in Ctenomys flamarioni—a subterranean rodent that inhabits a small region of the coastal plain of Brazil—and contrasted the roles of “present-day niche suitability” versus
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Ontogenetic and static scaling of antler mass in White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-24 Willis P Sontheimer, Deanna Pfeffer, Floyd W Weckerly
Antlers are a costly trait that require skeletal reserves to grow to a large size. Thus, insight into variation in antler size requires understanding the connection between antler and body size, which can be summarized through ontogenetic and static scaling relationships. Both types of scaling relationships are also needed to examine the influence of factors besides body mass on antler growth at different
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Movement response of small mammals to burn severity reveals importance of microhabitat features J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-24 Sandy A Slovikosky, Melissa J Merrick, Marina Morandini, John L Koprowski
Disturbance events are increasing at a global scale, with cascading impacts to ecosystems and residents therein that include fragmentation and altered vegetation structure and composition. Such changes may disproportionately impact small mammal movements, risk perception, and community dynamics as smaller species perceive such changes at finer spatial scales. We examined movement response to burn severity
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Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes contribute to mass gain variation in female obligate hibernators J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-16 Samuel Degregori, Gina C Johnson, Paul H Barber, Daniel T Blumstein
Obtaining body condition is an important life history challenge that directly impacts individual fitness and is particularly important for hibernating animals, whose maintenance of adequate body fat and mass is essential for survival. It is well-documented that host-associated microorganisms play a vital role in animal physiology and behavior. Recent work demonstrates that gut microbes are associated
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A new extinct desert rodent from the Holocene of South America and its bearing on the diversity of Octodontidae (Hystricognathi) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-16 Diego H Verzi, A Itatí Olivares, Nahuel A De Santi, Cecilia C Morgan, José Manuel López, Horacio Chiavazza
A Late Holocene (ca. 3,100 to 380 BP) sample of the viscacha rat genus Octomys (Octodontidae) from the Vaquerías Gruta 1 site (VQ-G1) in western Argentina is reported. Phylogenetic and morphometric comparative analyses with living octodontids support that the VQ-G1 sample is related to the desert specialists Tympanoctomys and Octomys, and is sister to the only living species of the latter, O. mimax
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Skull shape and size changes in different subpopulations of the California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) in Mexico J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-14 Rosalía Aguilar Medrano, Víctor Hugo Cruz Escalona, Juan Ángel Payán Alcacio, Larissa Rosa de Oliveira, Arelly Ornelas Vargas, Claudia J Hernández Camacho, Carlos Mauricio Peredo
California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are distributed along the Gulf of California and northeastern Pacific coast. Genetic studies have suggested the existence of 3 to 4 subpopulations in Mexico—1 on the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula (PC) and 3 in the Gulf of California—but the extent of this divergence is unclear, and it remains unknown if these subpopulations are morphologically
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From backyard to backcountry: changes in mammal communities across an urbanization gradient J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Christopher P Hansen, Roland Kays, Joshua J Millspaugh
Urbanization often results in biodiversity loss and homogenization, but this result is not universal and there is substantial variability in the spatiotemporal effects of urbanization on wildlife across cities and taxa. Areas with lower population and housing density are some of the fastest-growing regions in the western United States; thus, more research in these areas could offer additional insight
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In the Lyme light: individual trait determinants of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in Peromyscus mice J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Ivy Yen, Allison Gardner, Alessio Mortelliti
Disease ecologists commonly use abiotic factors (e.g. temperature and moisture) or measures of biodiversity (e.g. species richness) to predict Lyme disease transmission patterns, but variance in infection probability among individuals within a population is poorly understood. Most studies assume intraspecific consistency, but recent evidence suggests that individual traits, such as animal personality
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The utility of alpine cave fossil assemblages for zoological census: an example from northern Utah, United States J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Kaedan O’Brien, Randall B Irmis, Joan Brenner Coltrain, Daniel Martin Dalmas, Katrina M Derieg, Thomas Evans, Eric S Richards, Fumiko M Richards, Eric A Rickart, J Tyler Faith
Assemblages of mammal skeletal remains provide a powerful tool for censusing wildlife populations to establish zoological baselines required for evaluating biogeographic trends over varying timescales. Caves provide an ideal depositional setting to preserve these skeletal remains despite potential time averaging and taphonomic filtering. We describe a Holocene paleontological assemblage from Boomerang
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Seasonal roost characteristics and fall behavior of coastal populations of Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Samantha Hoff, Casey Pendergast, Luanne Johnson, Elizabeth Olson, Danielle O’Dell, Zara R Dowling, Katherine M Gorman, Carl Herzog, Wendy C Turner
Temperate bats exhibit seasonal and sex differences in resource selection and activity patterns that are influenced by ambient conditions. During fall, individuals face energetic trade-offs as they make choices relating to migration, mating, and hibernation that may diverge for populations throughout their range. However, research has largely focused on the summer maternity and winter hibernation seasons
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Sex and age mediate the effects of rapid environmental change for a forest carnivore, the Fisher (Pekania pennanti) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Corbin C Kuntze, M Zachariah Peery, Rebecca E Green, Kathryn L Purcell, Jonathan N Pauli
Rapid environmental changes—in climate, land use, and biotic interactions—are accelerating species extinctions and extirpations globally. Identifying drivers that threaten populations is essential for conservation yet can be difficult given the variable nature of the response of an organism to biotic and abiotic stressors. We analyzed a long-term monitoring data set to explore demographic responses
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Lion (Panthera leo) movements in a multiuse area of the eastern Panhandle of the Okavango Delta, Botswana J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Eric G LeFlore, Todd K Fuller, Andrew B Stein
As global large carnivore populations continue to decline due to human actions, maintaining viable populations beyond protected area (PA) borders is critical. African lions (Panthera leo) ranging beyond PA borders regularly prey on domestic livestock causing humans to retaliate or even preemptively kill lions to minimize impacts of lost livestock. To understand how lions navigate high-conflict areas
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Female pond bats hunt in other areas than males and consume lighter prey when pregnant J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-10-16 Anne-Jifke Haarsma, Eelke Jongejans, Elza Duijm, Carolien van der Graaf, Youri Lammers, Milan Sharma, Henk Siepel, Barbara Gravendeel
Animals with large energy requirements are forced to optimize their hunting strategy, which may result in differentiation of the diet between sexes and across seasons. Here, we examined spatiotemporal variation in the diet of both sexes of the Pond Bat Myotis dasycneme, a species known to have spatial segregation of sexes when the young are born and lactating. Fecal pellets were collected from live
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Seasonal and sex-specific changes in the gastrointestinal tracts of Peromyscus maniculatus J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-09-25 Olivia S Chapman, Bryan S McLean
Functional traits are phenotypic characteristics that contribute to fitness of individuals in dynamic and changing environments. In mammals, both categorical and continuous (e.g., quantitative) functional traits have been extensively utilized as proxies for diet, locomotion, and other aspects of species ecology, but there has been less focus on form and function of soft tissues. This is particularly
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Multiscale influences on Elk (Cervus canadensis) calving site selection across a fragmented Appalachian landscape J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-09-14 Nathan D Hooven, Kathleen E Williams, John T Hast, Joseph R McDermott, R Daniel Crank, Matthew T Springer, John J Cox
Due to the vulnerability of neonatal ungulates, selection of a birth site can have important implications for offspring survival and thus fitness of the mother. We studied parturition site selection in cow Elk in southeastern Kentucky, United States, using a use–availability framework to evaluate the effects of landscape variables sampled at multiple spatial grains on the relative probability of use
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Uncertainty during migration: the role of predictable resources in unpredictable conditions in determining movement in Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-28 Emilie Dedeban, Quinn M R Webber, Michel P Laforge, Alec L Robitaille, Eric Vander Wal
Environmental and climatic variation drive animal migration. Animals must adjust their behavioral strategies, for example, habitat selection, to match best variation in resources whose value likely varies with conditions such as weather. For example, climate change makes processes such as snowmelt and the emergence of vegetation less predictable at the scale of months or weeks. Furthermore, climate
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Rocky rule: the idiosyncrasy of spatial and temporal size variation in mammals J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-28 Kirsten E Crandall, Link E Olson, Virginie Millien
Mammals are predicted to vary in body size following Bergmann’s rule, with individuals found at higher latitudes in colder temperatures being larger in size compared to conspecifics occurring at lower latitudes in warmer temperatures. Body size is similarly expected to vary temporally, with a decrease in size through time due to recent climate warming. While Bergmann’s rule is well-supported in mammals
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Social play predicts caution in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 Madelene I Shehan, Melissa Hernandez, Jenevieve D Rodriguez, Scott Nunes
Play is an important component of development in a range of mammalian species, and may provide adaptive benefits for young individuals in some cases. We evaluated the hypothesis that social play in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) promotes development of cautious responses when individuals are confronted with a potential threat. We observed the play behavior of juvenile U
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The influence of landscape features on the population connectivity and genetic structure of the Edible Dormouse Glis glis in Poland J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 Magdalena Moska, Anna Mucha, Heliodor Wierzbicki, Błażej Nowak
In this study, we analyze and compare the genetic structure of edible dormice representing five populations, inhabiting forest complexes in southwestern Poland that differ in their degree of fragmentation and isolation. Total genomic DNA was isolated from hairs with bulbs of 145 individuals captured between 2018 and 2020. All dormice sampled were genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci. Population genetic
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Apparent annual survival of female eastern small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) roosting in Arkansas bridges J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 D Blake Sasse, Roger W Perry
The Eastern Small-footed Bat (Myotis leibii) inhabits mountainous areas of the eastern United States and generally roosts in cliff faces and talus slopes. However, the difficulty of accessing these sites has limited research on this species. We studied survival rates of eastern small-footed bats by capturing bats roosting in crevices between sections of concrete guardrails on bridges in the Ozark mountains
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Life history variation of the Hairy-tailed Akodont (Necromys lasiurus, Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) in the Caatinga biome of northeastern Brazil J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-20 Gisela Sobral, João Alves de Oliveira
Rodents are notable for their unique life history traits that render a fast-breeding capacity. Their short generation times allow local adaptations to appear, and several studies have tried to understand if—and how—geographical variables influence local adaptation in life history traits. We compared demographic and life history traits of the Neotropical cricetid Necromys lasiurus based on 7,400 museum
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What drives prey selection? Assessment of Tiger (Panthera tigris) food habits across the Terai-Arc Landscape, India J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-11 Suvankar Biswas, Shrewshree Kumar, Meghna Bandhopadhyay, Shiv Kumari Patel, Salvador Lyngdoh, Bivash Pandav, Samrat Mondol
Large carnivores strongly shape ecological interactions within their respective ecosystems, but experience significant conflicts with humans across their range due to their specific ecological resource requirements. The Tiger (Panthera tigris) typifies the challenges faced by large carnivore species globally. India retains the majority of the global Tiger population with a substantial number occurring
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Parental effects on offspring sex ratio in the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus): does captivity influence paternal sex allocation? J. Mammal. (IF 1.7) Pub Date : 2023-08-10 Renée C Firman, Connor M Ellis, Sian Thorn, Peter R Mawson
Sex allocation theories predict that under different ecological conditions the production of sons and daughters will affect parental fitness differently. Skewed offspring sex ratios often occur under captive conditions where individuals are exposed to nutritional and social conditions that differ from nature. Here, we analyzed 29 years of offspring sex ratio data from a captive population of an endangered