Abstract
An ecological survey was conducted to assess the species composition and abundance of rodents in Kafta-Sheraro National Park, Ethiopia from June 2017 to April 2018 covering wet and dry seasons. Rodents were trapped using Sherman live traps from five selected habitat types—natural forest, bushland, grassland, farmland, and human settlement. A total of 209 individuals of rodents belonging to seven species were captured over 2940 trap nights, and three species of rodents were only observed. The trapped rodent species include Mastomys natalensis, Stenocephalemys albipes, Rattus rattus, Mastomys awashensis, Acomys cahirinus, Arvicanthis niloticus dembeensis, and Mastomys erythroleucus. Lemniscomys striatus, Hystrix cristata, and Xerus rutilus were only sighted during the study. Mastomys natalensis was the most abundant species (41.1%), followed by Stenocephalemys albipes (26.3%) and Rattus rattus (18.2%), whereas Mastomys erythroleucus (1.4%) was the least abundant species. The abundance of female (59.8%) was higher than male (40.2%). Of the total trapped rodents, 52.2% were adults, 32% sub-adult and 15.8% young. The abundance of rodents was varied among habitat types and between seasons. The results of the study revealed that the park has diverse species of fauna including rodents.
Highlights
Rodents are the most diverse and abundant group of mammals
The present study aims to assess the species composition and abundance of rodents in the unexplored Kafta-Sheraro National Park (KSNP)
KSNP is located in the lowland part of western and northwestern Tigray regional state known for the highest peak of the country—Siemen Mountain, Ras Dashn
Summary
Rodents are the most diverse and abundant group of mammals. Over 32 extant families, 468 genera and 2,277 species of rodents are recognized throughout the world, which represents 42% of the mammalian species (Wilson & Reeder 2005; Wolff & Sherman 2007). In eastern Africa rodents are the most abundant and numerous, which account for 28% of the total recognized species of mammals (Afework 1996; Kingdon 1997). A total of 320 mammalian species were recorded in Ethiopia, of which 84 species are rodents with 21% endemic (Afework 1996; Lavrenchenko et al 2007). The knowledge on global distribution and diversity of mammals are not complete, especially so for small mammals including rodents, insectivores, and bats, as many taxa are still being discovered (Kingdon 1997; Wilson & Reeder 2005).
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