Mammalian Carnivores Research Articles

Threatened Habitats of Carnivores: Identifying Conservation Areas in Michoacán, México

The present study contributes to bridging the gap in research related to the presence and distribution patterns of carnivore mammals in western México and identifies priority areas for biodiversity conservation in western Michoacán, México. The distribution of 11 carnivore species (Canis latrans; Urocyon cinereoargenteus; Herpailurus yagouaroundi; Leopardus pardalis; Leopardus wiedii; Puma concolor; Panthera onca; Conepatus leuconotus; Bassariscus astutus; Nasua narica; Procyon lotor) in western México was modeled through the application of a two-scale approach, including a large modeled region that corresponded to the western part of the country, for which consensus models were obtained that represent the species’ bioclimatic envelopes (historic occurrence records); and the second modeled study area that includes only the western portion of the state of Michoacán in which compounded models of the species’ habitat suitability (field occurrence records) for this region were proposed. Using species’ habitat suitability models as biodiversity units, prioritization exercises were carried out on important areas for the conservation of these species, as well as the comparison and analysis of the existing natural protected areas (NPA) and existing proposed conservation areas in the study area. The different exercises for prioritizing areas for conservation yielded similar results and show the potential percentages of the landscape that can be subjected to conservation programs. The highest conservation priority values were mainly located in the Costas del Sur and Cordillera del Sur provinces. This study signifies a flexible basis from which future studies on planning and designing a network of natural protected areas can be carried out in this region.

Phylogenetic analyses of Ixodes rugicollis with notes on its morphology in comparison with Ixodes cornutus

BackgroundThe subgenus Pholeoixodes contains Ixodes species typically associated with birds that nest in cavities or with carnivorous mammals that are burrow-dwelling. Among ticks infesting the latter, Ixodes rugicollis is regarded as the rarest species in the western Palearctic. Despite the unique morphology of this species, its identification (especially of subadult stages) is difficult, and molecular-phylogenetic data to offer other diagnostic methods and a better understanding of its taxonomy are not available.MethodsIn this study, a female and a male of I. rugicollis were collected in Romania. The female was compared morphologically to another female of this species collected in France and to the lectotype of Ixodes cornutus (from Tajikistan), which has similar morphology and host association. Following DNA extraction, two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I: cox1 and the 16S rRNA gene) and two nuclear genetic markers (18S and 28S rRNA genes) of I. rugicollis were amplified and analyzed in a phylogenetic context.ResultsFemales of I. rugicollis and I. cornutus differed in the shape of their palps, scutum and areae porosae and the size of peritremes, but they were similar in palpal setal length, dental formula and arrangement of anal setae. Measurements of two I. rugicollis females examined were not less different from each other than from I. cornutus. Phylogenetically, I. rugicollis clustered with other members of its subgenus. The topology of all trees showed the position of bat-associated tick species of the subgenus Eschatocephalus among Pholeoixodes species.ConclusionsFor the first time to our knowledge, this study provides high-resolution digital pictures of male and female I. rugicollis as well as corresponding molecular data. Morphological comparison of this species with I. cornutus could not resolve uncertainties in the validity of the latter species, which can only be accomplished after collecting new specimens of I. cornutus and consequent molecular comparisons. This study includes the first comprehensive molecular-phylogenetic analysis of western Palearctic Pholeoixodes species based on both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers and including I. rugicollis. The results of these confirm the phylogenetic position of subgenus Eschatocephalus within Pholeoixodes, justifying the need to merge them to comply with the taxonomic criterion of monophyly.Graphical

Mink on the brink: comparing survey methods for detecting a critically endangered carnivore, the European mink Mustela lutreola

Monitoring rare and elusive species is critical in guiding appropriate conservation management measures. Mammalian carnivores are challenging to monitor directly, due to their generally nocturnal and solitary lifestyle, and relatively large home ranges. The European mink Mustela lutreola is a critically endangered, small, semi-aquatic carnivore and is one of the most threatened mammal species in Europe. In northern Spain, the European mink population is monitored regionally using different methods and approaches, making assessment of national population status difficult. There is an urgent need to 1) assess the efficacy of survey methods and 2) identify a standard monitoring methodology that can be deployed rapidly and inexpensively over large areas of the mink’s range. We deployed four methods—camera trapping, hair tubes, live trapping, and environmental DNA (eDNA) from water samples—to compare the probability of detecting European mink when present at 25 sampling sites within five 10 × 10 km2, and the economic cost and time required for each method. All four methods successfully detected European mink but the probability of detection varied by method. Camera trapping and hair tubes had the highest probability of detection; however, eDNA and live trapping detected mink in one 10 × 10 km2 where the latter two methods did not. For future European mink monitoring programs, we recommend a combination of at least two methods and suggest that camera traps or hair tubes are combined with live trapping or eDNA (depending on the scale and aims of the study), to gather critical information on distribution, occupancy and conservation status.

Investigating Cause-Specific Mortality of Sheep to Determine the Impacts of Carnivores on Domestic Livestock

Populations of mammalian carnivores are growing in the western United States, leading to increases in conflicts with people because carnivores prey on species that are highly valued by humans, such as domestic livestock. Accurate and updated information on the impact of predators on prey is essential when making management decisions and mitigating domestic livestock losses, yet it is difficult to detect mortalities and determine whether depredation has occurred when livestock graze on public allotments. We sought to accurately quantify the effects of predation on domestic lambs when grazing on public allotments. We placed 934 very-high-frequency (VHF) collars on lambs in seven herds that graze on public allotments at two study sites—one in northern and one in central Utah, United States. We then monitored collared lambs daily throughout the summer grazing season (April−September 2021). Of the 934 collared lambs, there were 51 (5%) lamb mortalities, for which 28 were determined to be from predation, 12 from nonpredatory causes, and 11 from unknown causes because they were too decomposed to accurately determine a cause of death. Predators responsible included coyote (Canis latrans), cougar (Puma concolor), and bobcat (Lynx rufus). Overall, few lambs die in their first 3 mo, but of those that died, we found noticeable differences in the causes and number of mortalities among herds but no differences between study sites or in predation rates within herds over time. Our results suggest lamb survival may primarily be a function of animal husbandry practices or specialization by individual predators within a grazing allotment. This study provides insight into what factors influence lamb mortality and highlights areas ranchers and managers might focus on when seeking to increase lamb survival and reduce depredation.

Socioeconomic factors predict population changes of large carnivores better than climate change or habitat loss

Land-use and climate change have been linked to changes in wildlife populations, but the role of socioeconomic factors in driving declines, and promoting population recoveries, remains relatively unexplored. Here, we evaluate potential drivers of population changes observed in 50 species of some of the world’s most charismatic and functionally important fauna—large mammalian carnivores. Our results reveal that human socioeconomic development is more associated with carnivore population declines than habitat loss or climate change. Rapid increases in socioeconomic development are linked to sharp population declines, but, importantly, once development slows, carnivore populations have the potential to recover. The context- and threshold-dependent links between human development and wildlife population health are challenges to the achievement of the UN Sustainable development goals.

Dental topographic proxies for ecological characteristics in carnivoran mammals.

Form-function relationships in mammalian feeding systems are active topics of research in evolutionary biology. This is due principally to their fundamental importance for understanding dietary adaptations in extinct taxa and macro-evolutionary patterns of morphological transformations through changing environments. We hypothesize that three-dimensional dental topographic metrics represent stronger predictors for dietary and other ecological variables than do linear measurements. To test this hypothesis, we measured three dental topographic metrics: Relief Index (RFI), Dirichlet Normal Energy (DNE), and Orientation Patch Count Rotated (OPCR) in 57 extant carnivoran species. Premolar and molar dental topographic indices were regressed against activity, diet breadth, habitat breadth, terrestriality, and trophic level variables within a phylogenetic framework. The results of this study showed significant correlations between RFI and the ecological variables diet breadth and trophic level. Weaker correlations are documented between OPCR and activity and between DNE and trophic level. Our results suggest that cusp height is strongly reflective of dietary ecology in carnivorans as a whole, and represents a proxy mainly for different degrees of hypercarnivory observed within this group of predatory mammals.

Prevalence and Distribution of Endoparasites in Carnivorous Primates from Thrissur Zoological Garden

The animals selected for the endoparasitic observation are four species of carnivorous mammals specifically, Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) and Indian jackal (Canis aureus indicus) that have been captivated in Thrissur zoo. By using direct smear inspection, conventional sedimentation, and flotation procedures, the faecal samples were subjected to a thorough routine parasitological study to determine the presence of parasite eggs and oocysts. The current analysis revealed that helminth and protozoan parasites infest four species of carnivorous mammals. Ancylostoma, Toxascaris leonina, Toxocara, Strongyle type and the trematode eggs of the species of Paragonimus as well as the coccidian genera Isospora of protozoa, were all observed to be abundant in the gastro intestinal tract of chosen mammals as a result of the study. By statistical analysis, according to the most recent observations it is noticed thatToxocara makes upon 25% of wild mammals, and any of the parasites infects 60% of wild mammals.

Tetrathyridia in an endemic lizard from Chile: molecular evidence for South America.

Mesocestoides is a controversial tapeworm with significant lack of data related to systematics and life cycles. This helminth has an indirect life cycle with vertebrates, mostly carnivorous mammals, as definitive hosts. Theoretically, a coprophagous arthropod would be the first intermediate host, and herptiles, mammals, and birds, which prey on these insects, would represent the second intermediate hosts. However, recent evidence suggests that this life cycle would require only two hosts, with no arthropods involved. In the Neotropics, although there are records of mammals and reptiles as hosts for Mescocestoides, no molecular analyses have been performed. This work aimed to record an additional intermediate host and molecularly characterize the isolated larvae. Thus, 18 braided tree iguanas (Liolaemus platei) from Northern Chile were collected and dissected during 2019. One lizard was parasitized by three morphotypes of larvae compatible with tetrathyridia of Mescocestoides. To achieve its specific identity, a molecular approach was performed: 18S rRNA and 12S rRNA loci were amplified through cPCR. The inferred phylogenies confirmed the morphological diagnosis and stated that all morphotypes were conspecifics. The sequences for both loci formed a monophyletic clade with high nodal support, representing a sister taxon to Mescocestoides clade C. This study represents the first molecular characterization of any taxon of Mescocestoides from the Neotropics. Future surveys from potential definitive hosts would help to elucidate its life cycle. Furthermore, an integrative taxonomic approach is required in additional studies from the Neotropical region, which would contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships of this genus.

Gastrointestinal parasites of wild carnivores from conservation institutions in the Cerrado of Goiás, Brazil.

Increased interaction between wild and urban environments owing to human population growth, increased anthropization of biomes, and habitat loss for wild animals increases the spread of infectious and parasitic agents. The present study reports on the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in carnivorous mammals at two conservation institutions in the state of Goiás, Brazil. Fecal samples from 39 adult carnivores were collected after spontaneous defecation and analyzed by flotation and sedimentation. The structure and management data of each institution were recorded. Parasitism prevalence, binomial confidence intervals (CI) at 95%, variables associated with the presence of contact animals, size of the enclosure and type of food were recorded. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the samples analyzed was 71.8% (CI 55.1-83.0; 28/39). Ancylostomatidae, Toxocara spp., Toxascaris leonina, Strongyloides spp., Calodium hepaticum, and Trematoda eggs, and Cystoisospora spp. oocysts were detected. Environmental conditions were not correlated with parasitism prevalence; however, the parasites found could be managed, considering their biology, such as controlling synanthropic and domestic animals in captivity, feeding with healthy feed.

Helminth Fauna in Carnivoran Mammals from Uzbekistan

Helminths, or parasitic worms, are a group of organisms that can infect various animal species, including humans. In Uzbekistan, previous studies on the helminth fauna of mammals have mainly focused on domestic animals and some wildlife species, with little attention given to carnivoran mammals. This survey aims to conduct a comprehensive study for the first time in Uzbekistan on the helminth fauna of Carnivora. In this study, helminths were collected from 1002 carnivorans (Canidae, n = 710; Mustelidae, n = 167; and Felidae, n = 125) from five locations in Uzbekistan (Northeastern, Eastern, Central, Southern and Northwestern). A total of 71 species of helminths were identified in domestic and wild carnivores by necropsy and faecal examination, of which 36, 23, 9, and 3 species belonged to the higher taxon Nematoda, Cestoda, Trematoda and Acanthocephala respectively. The highest number of helminth species was recorded in studied Canidae (51 species), followed by Felidae (40 species) and Mustelidae (35 species). The overall infection rate of carnivorans was 79.8 %. Infection intensity ranged from a single to dozens of specimens. The statistical analysis indicated that the diversity of helminth species is significant among members of Canidae, with foxes having 42 species and dogs having 41 species (P < 0.05). Our study proves that the parasitic worm species that inhabit predatory mammals in Uzbekistan are a diverse and complex group that can cause helminthiases, which may be dangerous to livestock and humans.

First Report on Ticks, Mites, and Other Ectoparasites Infesting Carnivorous Mammals in Uzbekistan

First Report on Ticks, Mites, and Other Ectoparasites Infesting Carnivorous Mammals in Uzbekistan

Morphological and molecular comparison of nematodes from the family Ancylostomatidae isolated from selected species of carnivorous mammals in central Poland

The aim of the study was to morphologically and genetically compare parasitic nematodes from the genus Uncinaria found in different hosts. These common parasites belong to hookworm nematodes (family Ancylostomatidae). Worms were collected during dissection of mammals obtained from the Institute of Veterinary Hygiene in Warsaw, where the animals had been tested for rabies. The hosts of the nematodes were European badgers (Meles meles) from the family Mustelidae, as well as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), dogs (Canis familiaris), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from the family Canidae. The parasites were viewed under a microscope, and identified on the basis of their morphological features characteristic of the species U. stenocephala. Isolated, PCR-amplified, and sequenced rDNA segments containing internal transcribed spacer segments (ITS1 and ITS2) in the gene encoding 5.8S rDNA were also compared. No genetic or morphological differences were found between Uncinaria hookworms obtained from the four different host species. This means that wild raccoon dogs and badgers can be a source and reservoir for the hookworm U. stenocephala that infects dogs.

Multi‐locus DNA metabarcoding reveals seasonality of foraging ecology of western spotted skunks in the Pacific Northwest

AbstractThere are increasing concerns about the declining population trends of small mammalian carnivores around the world. Their conservation and management are often challenging due to limited knowledge about their ecology and natural history. To address one of these deficiencies for western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis), we investigated their diet in the Oregon Cascades of the Pacific Northwest during 2017–2019. We collected 130 spotted skunk scats opportunistically and with detection dog teams and identified prey items using DNA metabarcoding and mechanical sorting. Western spotted skunk diet consisted of invertebrates, such as wasps, millipedes, and gastropods; vertebrates, such as small mammals, amphibians, and birds; and plants, such as Gaultheria, Rubus, and Vaccinium. Diet also consisted of items, such as black‐tailed deer, that were likely scavenged. Comparison in diet by season revealed that spotted skunks consumed more insects during the dry season (June–August), particularly wasps (75% of scats in the dry season), and marginally more mammals during the wet season (September–May). We observed a similar diet in areas with no record of human disturbance and areas with a history of logging at most spatial scales, but scats collected in areas with older forest within a skunk's home range (1‐km buffer) were more likely to contain insects. Western spotted skunks provide food web linkages between aquatic, terrestrial, and arboreal systems and serve functional roles of seed dispersal and scavenging. Due to their diverse diet and prey switching, western spotted skunks may dampen the effects of irruptions of prey, such as wasps, during dry springs and summers. By studying the natural history of western spotted skunks in the Pacific Northwest forests, while they are still abundant, we provide key information necessary to achieve the conservation goal of keeping this common species common.

Intravertebral vs. intervertebral integration and modularity in the vertebral column of mammalian carnivorans.

The vertebral column is a multicomponent structure whose organization results from developmental and functional demands. According to their distinct somitic origins, individual vertebrae exhibit intravertebral modularity between the centrum and neural spine. However, vertebrae are also organized into larger units called intervertebral modules that result from integration between adjacent vertebrae due to locomotory demands or from common developmental origins due to resegmentation. A previous hypothesis suggested that the boundaries of intervertebral modules coincide with changes in the patterns of intravertebral integration. Here, we explicitly test whether the patterns of modularity and integration between the centrum and neural spine (i.e., intravertebral) in the boundary vertebrae among previously defined intervertebral modules change with respect to those in the vertebrae within intervertebral modules. We quantified intravertebral modularity patterns and quantified the strength of intravertebral integration for each vertebra of the presacral region in 41 species of carnivoran mammals using 3D geometric morphometrics. Our results demonstrate a significant intravertebral modular signal between the centrum and neural spine in all post-cervical vertebrae, including the boundary vertebrae among intervertebral modules. However, the strength of intravertebral integration decreases at the boundary vertebrae. We also found a significant correlation between the degree of intravertebral integration and intervertebral integration. Following our results, we hypothesize that natural selection does not override the integration between the centrum and neural spine at the boundary vertebrae, a pattern that should be influenced by their distinct somitic origins and separate ossification centers during early development. However, natural selection has probably influenced (albeit indirectly) the integration between the centrum and neural spine in the vertebrae that compose the intervertebral modules.

Phylogenetically controlled life history trait meta-analysis in cetaceans reveals unexpected negative brain size and longevity correlation.

The identification of patterns in trait evolution is essential to understand the interaction of evolutionary forces, and provides useful information for species management. Cetaceans are a phylogenetically well-resolved infraorder that exhibit distinct trait variation across behavioral, molecular, and life history dimensions, yet few researchers have applied a meta-analytic or comparative approach to these traits. To understand cetacean trait evolution, we used a phylogenetic generalized least squares approach to examine the cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH). A large brain should buffer individuals against environmental challenges through increasing survival rates, and a longer lifespan should buffer individuals against the cost of extended development for larger brains according to the CBH, leading to an expected positive correlation between brain size and lifespan. In contrast to this expectation, previously observed in taxa including primates, we found a negative correlation between brain size and lifespan in cetaceans. This suggests cetaceans experience selective pressures different from most other mammals in these traits but may be more similar to some social mammalian carnivores that display alloparenting. We also provide a comprehensive dataset to explore additional aspects of trait evolution but which would greatly benefit from studies on behavioral ecology across cetaceans and increased focus on data deficient species.

<i>Corrigendum to</i>: Differing effects of productivity on home-range size and population density of a native and an invasive mammalian carnivore

Wildlife Research provides an international forum for the publication of original and significant research and debate on the ecology and management of wild animals in natural and modified habitats. Readers can expect a broad range of high quality, internationally refereed papers that contribute conceptual and practical advances to our knowledge and understanding of wildlife ecology and management

Determination of the Species Identity of Burrow Hosts and Spring–Summer Censuses of Carnivorous Mammals (Carnivora) in Natural Foci of Rabies

Determination of the Species Identity of Burrow Hosts and Spring–Summer Censuses of Carnivorous Mammals (Carnivora) in Natural Foci of Rabies

Virological, pathological, and glycovirological investigations of an Ezo red fox and a tanuki naturally infected with H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses in Hokkaido, Japan

In winter/spring 2021–2022, high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) that are genetically closely related to each other were detected worldwide. In a public garden in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, a crow die-off by HPAIV infection occurred from March 29 to May 18, 2022. During the event, H5N1 HPAIVs were isolated from an Ezo red fox (Vulpes vulpes schrencki) and a tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides albus) found in the same garden. The fox showed viral meningoencephalitis and moderate virus replication in the upper respiratory tract, whereas the tanuki showed viral conjunctivitis and secondary bacterial infection in the eyes accompanied with visceral larva migrans. Viruses isolated from the fox and the tanuki were genetically closely related to those isolated from crows in the same garden. Various α2-3 sialosides were found in the respiratory tracts of these canid mammals, consistent with HPAIV infections in these animals. This study highlighted the importance of monitoring HPAIV infections in wild carnivore mammals to detect the potential virus spreading in nature.

New mammal and bird tracks from the Lower Oligocene of the Ebro Basin (NE Spain): implications for the Palaeogene ichnological record

ABSTRACT The Ebro Basin (Spain) is one of the few worldwide areas where Palaeogene avian and mammal tracksites have been found. A new unpublished tracksite known as La Sagarreta is here described. The tracksite is located in a sandstone-dominated outcrop from the Early Oligocene Peralta Formation in the northern-central sector of the basin. Six different ichnotaxa have been identified. Four belong to mammals, including perissodactyl (cf. Plagiolophustipus isp), artiodactyl (Megapecoripeda isp. and cf. Pecoripeda isp.) and carnivoramorph tracks (cf. Canipeda isp.), and the other two to avian tracks (Aviadactyla vialovi and Gruipeda dominguensis). La Sagarreta presents a high ichnodiversity with the presence of a medium-sized member likely of the genus Plagiolophus (or relative), one medium- and one small-sized artiodactyl that probably belong to the family Entelodontidae, one medium-size unidentified carnivorous mammal and two types of birds. La Sagarreta tracksite is the most diverse Early Oligocene tracksite of the Ebro Basin and one of the few palaeontologic vertebrate records at the central area of the basin during this age.

More and bigger lizards reside on islands with more resources

AbstractWhile global patterns in body size evolution in island vertebrates have been described extensively, the ecological processes that generate these patterns are not well understood. Here we used variation among lizard populations occupying an archipelago to test hypotheses about body size evolution. We examined 35 populations of Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii, Lacertidae), a species widely distributed across the Balkan mainland and hundreds of Aegean islands. We evaluated measures of resource availability (island area and seabird density), intraspecific competition (lizard abundance) and predation risk (presence of rats, carnivorous mammals, vipers, and birds of prey) as possible factors affecting lizard body size. Lizard body size increased with island size overall, as well as with seabird colony density, suggesting a role for increased food resources and especially seabird subsidies in the evolution of body size. Lizards were larger where lizard population density was higher, suggesting a possible role for intraspecific competition in the evolution of body size. In our sample, rats, carnivorous mammals, and vipers did not have obvious effects on lizard body size, and lizards were smaller on islands with resident birds of prey. Males were larger than females on average, yet sexual dimorphism did not vary consistently with measures of resource availability and competition. Overall, our results suggest that local resource levels predict population density and body size in these lizards, and that nesting seabirds in particular can substantially affect lizard body size.