Group Of Ungulates Research Articles

A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and ‘archaic’ South American ungulates

Abstract Ever since the discovery of Macrauchenia patachonica by Charles Darwin in 1834, the affinities of litopterns—a group of extinct South American Native Ungulates (SANUs)—have been elusive. In particular, the interfamilial relationships and timing of the familial diversification within the order Litopterna have not been addressed with adequate taxon and character sampling, and modern phylogenetic methods. We address these issues using a new morphological matrix of 703 dental and mandibular characters, scored for the earliest litopterns alongside early SANUs of other orders (Astrapotheria, Notoungulata, Pyrotheria, and Xenungulata). We also included members of families that have been often included within Litopterna, such as Didolodontidae, Protolipternidae, Indaleciidae, and Notonychopidae, the last two sometimes grouped in the order Notopterna. We conducted maximum parsimony and undated and tip-dated Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. Our results indicate that (1) didolodontids, protolipternids, and kollpaniines should be considered early SANUs, but not particularly closely related to any order, (2) Indaleciidae and Notonychopidae usually form a monophyletic group (Notopterna), and (3) Litopterna is a monophyletic unit composed of four families [Adianthidae, Anisolambdidae (subfamilies Anisolambdinae and Sparnotheriodontinae), Macraucheniidae, Proterotheriidae], and tentatively the notoptern families Indaleciidae and Notonychopidae with a probable origin ~64.0 Mya in the Early Palaeocene.

Skull of a new periptychid mammal from the lower Paleocene Denver Formation of Colorado (Corral Bluffs, El Paso County)

The Periptychidae, an extinct group of archaic ungulates (‘condylarths’), were the most speciose eutherian mammals in the earliest Paleocene of North America, epitomizing mammalian ascendency after the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction. Although periptychids are mostly known from fragmentary gnathic remains, the Corral Bluffs area within the Denver Basin, Colorado, has yielded numerous exceptionally well-preserved mammalian fossils, including periptychids, from the earliest Paleocene. Here we describe a partial cranium and articulated dentaries plus an additional unassociated dentary fragment of a small-bodied (~273–455 g) periptychid from ca. 610 thousand years after the K–Pg mass extinction (Puercan 2 North American Land Mammal ‘age’) at Corral Bluffs. Based on these new fossils we erect Militocodon lydae gen. et sp. nov. The dentition of M. lydae exhibits synapomorphies that diagnose the Conacodontinae, but it is plesiomorphic relative to Oxyacodon, resembling putatively basal periptychids like Mimatuta and Maiorana in several dental traits. As such, we interpret M. lydae as a basal conacodontine. Its skull anatomy does not reveal clear periptychid synapomorphies and instead resembles that of arctocyonids and other primitive eutherians. M. lydae falls along a dental morphocline from basal periptychids to derived conacodontines, which we hypothesize reflects a progressive, novel modification of the hypocone to enhance orthal shearing and crushing rather than grinding mastication. The discovery and thorough descriptions and comparisons of the partial M. lydae skull represent an important step toward unraveling the complex evolutionary history of periptychid mammals.

Борис Фортунатов — революційний зоолог, ідеолог перетворення фауни

An essay about a researcher who joined the revolutionary wave of research when he became the head of the scientific department of the Askania-Nova Reserve. Fortunatov’s main research focused on measures to restore the European bison population, in particular by the admixture of American bison blood, hybridising representatives of different groups of ungulates, and developing programmes for the ‘reconstruction of the fauna.’ The latter were developed by him in 1933–1935 and became state programmes that included measures for the introduction of alien species and wildlife breeding, in particular in nature reserves.

Surveillance of ticks on a tropical island with introduced ungulates.

The abundance of hard ticks can be determined by abiotic factors and the presence of suitable hosts. Since deer represent important hosts for many tick species, it is imperative to investigate whether deer introduction will increase the number of ticks, which can transmit a wide variety of pathogens. The sika deer (Cervus nippon) was introduced to Green Island, Taiwan, to supply velvet antlers, a traditional Chinese medicine. However, they were later released into the wild after a steep decline in antler prices. We conducted surveys for questing ticks, ticks on rodents and shrews, and the fecal pellet groups of ungulates (deer and goats) in 31 transects within 3 habitat types (forest, grassland, and roadside) on Green Island every 2 months in 2019. A total of 5,321 questing ticks were collected. All collected ticks were Haemaphysalis mageshimaensis Saito and Hoogstraal, a species first identified on an island with an abundance of sika deer. Additionally, 48 ticks collected from 126 trapped rodents and shrews were almost invariably Ixodes granulatus (except for 1 larval Haemaphysalis sp.). We did not find a positive correlation between the number of questing ticks and the number of fecal pellet groups, suggesting that factors other than ungulate abundance affect tick abundance. Nevertheless, large populations of questing ticks along some roadsides suggest a high risk of tick-borne diseases to tourists on this tropical island.

Gastrointestinal parasite diversity of South American camelids (Artiodactyla: Camelidae): First review throughout the native range of distribution.

In South America inhabit an endemic group of ungulates adapted to extreme environments: the South American camelids (SAC), a key component of the Andean biocultural heritage. Until today, SAC are the most important factor of Andean economies and social and ritual life. SAC include two wild species, the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), and two domestic species, the llama (Lama glama) and the alpaca (Vicugna pacos). Endoparasitosis are one of the most common diseases in SAC, and have great economic and health relevance. Despite this, there is a lack of knowledge on this concern. The main objective of this work was to conduct the first systematic review of the diversity of gastrointestinal parasites of SAC throughout the entire native range of distribution and to identify several gaps in knowledge. The PRISMA protocol was performed and a total of 101 documents were summarized. At least 36 parasitic helminths and five Eimeria spp. were registered. This work highlights the need for a greater number of works to know with more certainty the parasitic fauna of camelids in the past and present, in order to achieve predictions that allow proper management of camelids for their future conservation. Furthermore, concerted research efforts are needed to understand the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis and distribution of the parasitosis of SAC along the entire distribution range to guide conservation decisions.

Experience of the prefecture with hunting management influences the effectiveness of wildlife policy

AbstractOverabundant ungulate populations have impacted forestry and agricultural systems, as well as natural ecosystems, worldwide. To effectively control the sika deer (Cervus nippon) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, which are currently under limited hunting pressure in Japan, we evaluated the prefectures' past management experiences with 2 wildlife laws: a prefecture‐determined management system for relaxing hunting regulations implemented in 2000 and municipality‐determined damage control system for subsidized culling implemented in 2008. Time series data (1990–2014) of sika deer and wild boar harvest per hunter for each prefecture were grouped using dynamic time warping clustering analyses. All groups of both ungulates demonstrated significant increases in harvest per hunter after implementing both laws. The prefectures with the most experience in deer management could control sika deer populations through management planning, culling supported by subsidies, and enforcement of antlerless deer harvest. The strategies are likely ineffective for controlling wild boar populations because of the lack of effective selective harvesting and limited survey methods for population monitoring. Our findings suggest that prefectures' experience in hunting management influences the success of population reduction actions for sika deer.

Haematological Studies in Wild Ungulates of Thar Desert

The present study comprised a different aged group of wild ungulates (14 Chinkara, 19 Bluebull and 12 Blackbuck) were conducted to evaluate the hematological parameters for assessing the health status in Thar Desert. The combined value of both se× es of chinkara revealed Red Blood Cell (RBC) with a total count of 9.67 ± 3.02 × 10 12 per cu. mm, The Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of 13.87 ± 3.35 gm/dl, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) of 37.71 ± 13.30 fL. Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) of 15.05 ± 6.08, Total White Blood Corpuscles (WBC) was 20.66 ± 43.14 × 10 9 per cu. mm. and the combined value of both sexes of Blackbuck revealed RBC with a total count of 12.44 ± 1.27 × 10 12 per cu. mm, The Hb concentration of 14.39 ± 2.59 gm/dl, MCV of 31.38 ± 3.62fL, MCH of 11.58 ± 1.73,Total WBC was 12.57 ± 8.69 × 1010 3 per cu. mm. While the Combined Value of Both Sexes of Bluebull revealed RBC with a total count of 9.58 ± 1.81 × 1010 12 per cu. mm, The Hb concentration of 12.57 ± 2.43 gm/dl, MCV of 36.57 ± 10.34, MCH of 13.54 ± 3.54, Total WBC was 38.65 ± 80.8 × 10 9 /L

Characteristics of Sleep-Wakefulness Cycle and Circadian Activity in the Lesser Mouse-Deer (Tragulus kanchil).

The pattern of sleep and circadian activity of the lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil) that is the smallest (body mass between 1.5 and 2.2 kg) representative of the basal group (Tragulidae) of even-toed ungulates which evolved 40-50 Ma were studied. In naturalistic conditions, a total of 30 days of full-day video of the animal behavior and 15 days of 24-h polysomnographic data were collected in 6 animals. The mouse-deer were active less than 20% of 24 h and were quiescent during 60-80% of the remaining time. Slow wave sleep (SWS) accounted for on average 49.7 ± 3.7% of 24 h and paradoxical (rapid eye movement, REM) sleep accounted for 1.7 ± 0.3% of 24 h. During the majority of SWS (87.0 ± 4.4%) the eyes were open. The most of SWS and REM sleep occurred during the daytime hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and in the first half of the night (8 p.m. to 2 a.m.); the animals were most active during twilight hours (4-6 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.). We suggest that the main features of sleep in the mouse-deer are largely determined by ecological factors, including environmental temperature and predation, as well as the size and physiology of the mouse-deer.

Giraffe taxonomy, geographic distribution and conservation

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Mine reclamation enhances habitats for wild ungulates in west‐central Alberta

Surface mining is the most prevalent form of coal extraction in North America. Reclamation aims to transform former surface mines into self‐sustaining ecosystems that support uses similar to predevelopment conditions. Success of reclamation often is determined by assessing the re‐establishment of landscape structure and vegetation communities. However, there is increasing interest in evaluating reclamation success in the context of higher trophic levels. We evaluated response to mining and reclamation by sympatric bighorn sheep (Ovis canadanesis), elk (Cervus elaphus), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) on reclaimed coal mines in west‐central Alberta. We used direct ground counts on a fixed survey route to obtain data on abundance and distribution of ungulates during 2004 to 2017. We created a grid of 200 × 200 m grid cells and assigned each group of ungulates to a grid cell. We assigned landscape and topographic features to these grid cells to represent changes due to mining and reclamation. We estimated resource selection functions for bighorn sheep, elk, and mule deer showing how their use of reclaimed features and landscapes increased access to quality forage and decreased predation risk. Ungulates also responded to mining and reclamation in ways that we did not anticipate, e.g. sheep and elk often selected areas near haul roads. Understanding spatial relationships between reclamation prescriptions and higher trophic levels is important when designing “bottom up” reclamation to restore ecological functions including recruitment of wildlife.

Phylogenetic relationships and palaeobiology of a new xenungulate (Mammalia: Eutheria) from the Palaeogene of Argentina

Xenungulates are a peculiar group of bilophodont ungulates, widespread over South America during the Paleocene and early Eocene. Here we describe, illustrate and analyse a new Xenungulata, Rodcania kakan gen. et sp. nov., the first from the lower latitudes of Argentina. It was recovered from the Río Loro Formation (Tucumán Province), for which a Paleocene age was estimated. The material comprises a fragment of the left dentary with an incomplete m2, eroded over the enamel surface, and an almost complete m3. Both teeth share with Xenungulata strong enamel, vertically oriented Hunter–Schreger bands (HSB), and wear facets sloping distally. Rodcania kakan differs from other xenungulates in the m3 trigonid, simplified and mesiodistally short; absence of a paraconid; more oblique protolophid in relation to the mesiodistal axis and a straight cristid obliqua, pointing to the protoconid position; and has a wider and longer talonid. A phylogenetic analysis of 13 species and 36 craniodental characters recovered R. kakan as a basal member of the Carodniidae, supported by 10 synapomorphies in the four most parsimonious trees. The body mass estimation of the Río Loro Fauna and of the rest of the xenungulate taxa revealed that R. kakan is the largest mammal of the Río Loro assemblage, weighing around 165 kg and with a size comparable to Carodnia feruglioi. The increase in body mass showed no clear relation with evolutionary trends in xenungulates.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FFCB8A36-1CE1-4D5F-90D7-A5D773CF121B

Алматы қорығындағы марал мен еліктің биологиясы және олардың сан-мөлшерінің динамикасы

The Almaty nature reserve is home to a wide variety of mammals. Mammals of the reserve are distinguished by their biological diversity, a significant part of which is a group of ungulates. According to the results of accounting in 2019, the number of marals on the territory of the reserve was 68 individuals. The increase in the total activity of marals (reduction from autumn to winter and summer) is associated with their nutrition. The highest activity is observed in November and February. The diet of the maral depends on the seasonal and migratory nature associated with the season of the year, on the presence of certain plant species that grow in certain areas of a certain belt. In the Almaty reserve, the Siberian ROE deer is a common species. It is common in deciduous woodlands. Here, in some areas, the density is 40-45 individuals per 1000 ha. The number of ROE deer is not subject to sharp annual fluctuations, and according to the results of accounting in 2019, the number of ROE deer was 629 individuals. The life of a ROE deer is determined by many factors of the natural environment. In protected areas or in places where people do not hunt animals, they are active during the day and, conversely, they act at night and at dusk in places where hunting is developed. The temperature of the air, especially wind and humidity, will often affect the animal’s behavior. In summer, during high temperatures in the sun, animals can get a little overheated if they graze in open areas. Therefore, in summer, ROE deer are active in the cool time of day. During the summer months, ROE deer rest during the day, sometimes changing their lying position. However, some animals feed during the day. It is known that human activity is one of the factors that significantly affect the number of marals and ROE deer. People place recreation areas in the habitats of maral and ROE deer, as a result of which the habitats of maral and ROE deer are reduced, and maral and ROE deer are forced to migrate to places that are not favorable for them. The relatively stable number and decline in the number of marals and ROE deer in the Almaty reserve suggests that the maral and ROE deer, in some years migrate to the Kungei side, rarely return or leave without returning back to the reserve. In 2013-2019, the results of accounting show that the number of marals is relatively stable, while the number of the Siberian population has slightly decreased. Data has yet to be collected on the field work carried out.

"Essay on the history of fossil ungulates" by Academician M. V. Pavlova as phenomenon in the world palaeozoological science (end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries)

The objective of the research is to reveal the main areas of research of Academician M. V. Pavlova in scientific works "Essay on the history of fossil ungulates" in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to show the contribution of these works to the world of palaeozoological science. The scientific novelty is that the life path and academic heritage of academician M. V. Pavlova was investigated in complex in the context of the development of Palaeozoology for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, and her scientific biography was reconstructed; the history of domestic palaeozoology is presented through the prism of M. V. Pavlova work and her scientific school; the published and handwritten works of the scientist were analyzed, which enabled to deepen the knowledge about the history of the national palaeozoological science and its influence on the development of world science. She demonstrated the importance of fossil mammal research for stratigraphic constructions. The founder of paleontology, as a scholarly discipline, is considered a prominent George Cuvier. Also, Paleontology and its section of Palaeozoology were created, such world-renowned scholars as Albert Godry, Otniel Marsh, Edward Cop, Volodymyr Kovalevsky, Melchior Neumire, Louis Dollo, Henry Osbourne, and others. To this galaxy of scientists-paleozoologist belongs also our compatriot, academician M. V. Pavlova (1854-1938). It was established that Maria Vasylivna Pavlova (in the girlhood M. V. Gortynskaya) is an entire era in the development of Palaeozoology. She is an outstanding specialist in the study of fossil mammals, the organizer and promoter of Palaeozoology Science. Maria Vasylivna is a world-class paleozoologist, a well-known specialist in scientific circles who was personally familiar with many prominent paleo scientists, for example, Albert Godri, who was her teacher at the Sorbonne, and with Henry Osborne she studied together at the same university, supported the connections with him all her life. The first woman-paleontologist, woman-professor, female academician in the Russian Empire, thanks to whom the domestic paleontology was allocated to independent biological science and which, with its research, laid the foundation for the development of paleontology (palaeozoology) in Ukraine. Works on the history of a large number of groups of fossil ungulates ended one of the cycles of M. V. Pavlova works, that showed the monophyletic development of most of the ungulates, the number of Tertiary and Quaternary faunas in the territory of the Russian Empire and in general in Ukraine.

Virtual endocranial and inner ear endocasts of the Paleocene 'condylarth' Chriacus: new insight into the neurosensory system and evolution of early placental mammals.

The end-Cretaceous mass extinction allowed placental mammals to diversify ecologically and taxonomically as they filled ecological niches once occupied by non-avian dinosaurs and more basal mammals. Little is known, however, about how the neurosensory systems of mammals changed after the extinction, and what role these systems played in mammalian diversification. We here use high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning to describe the endocranial and inner ear endocasts of two species, Chriacus pelvidens and Chriacus baldwini, which belong to a cluster of 'archaic' placental mammals called 'arctocyonid condylarths' that thrived during the ca. 10 million years after the extinction (the Paleocene Epoch), but whose relationships to extant placentals are poorly understood. The endocasts provide new insight into the paleobiology of the long-mysterious 'arctocyonids', and suggest that Chriacus was an animal with an encephalization quotient (EQ) range of 0.12-0.41, which probably relied more on its sense of smell than vision, because the olfactory bulbs are proportionally large but the neocortex and petrosal lobules are less developed. Agility scores, estimated from the dimensions of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, indicate that Chriacus was slow to moderately agile, and its hearing capabilities, estimated from cochlear dimensions, suggest similarities with the extant aardvark. Chriacus shares many brain features with other Paleocene mammals, such as a small lissencephalic brain, large olfactory bulbs and small petrosal lobules, which are likely plesiomorphic for Placentalia. The inner ear of Chriacus also shares derived characteristics of the elliptical and spherical recesses with extinct species that belong to Euungulata, the extant placental group that includes artiodactyls and perissodactyls. This lends key evidence to the hypothesized close relationship between Chriacus and the extant ungulate groups, and demonstrates that neurosensory features can provide important insight into both the paleobiology and relationships of early placental mammals.

Из наследия В.О. Ковалевского: оригиналы и материалы к статье "Остеология двух ископаемых видов из группы копытных (Entelodon и Gelocus Aymardi)" в фондах ГГМ РАН

Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский внес весомый вклад в науку не только как ученый, но и как переводчик и издатель. Свой след он оставил и в музейных коллекциях: занимая должность доцента геологии и минералогии Императорского Московского университета (ныне МГУ), пополнил собрание музея ценными в научном отношении коллекциями, в том числе – оригиналами к статье «Остеология двух ископаемых видов из группы копытных…».

Cainotheriidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from Dams (Quercy, SW France): phylogenetic relationships and evolution around the Eocene–Oligocene transition (MP19–MP21)

Cainotheriids are a family of small artiodactyls, known in the fossil record from the late Eocene to the middle Miocene in Western Europe. Contrary to several European endemic ungulate groups that became extinct at the end of the Eocene or close to the Eocene–Oligocene transition (Grande Coupure), cainotheriids crossed this boundary and diversified during the Oligocene. The evolutionary history of cainotheriids around the Grande Coupure remains poorly documented and only a few works deal with the modalities of their evolution, notably because of the scarcity of available Eocene remains. A new fossiliferous karstic network named Dams was discovered during field prospecting in the Quercy area (Tarn-et-Garonne, France). It notably displays two infillings that yielded a great abundance of cainotheriid remains, namely DAM1 (MP19, late Eocene) and DAM3 (MP22, early Oligocene), bracketing the Eocene–Oligocene transition. A detailed study of cainotheriid mandibular and dental remains from these infillings reveals that only Paroxacron valdense occurs at DAM1, while five species are found in DAM3. The karstic network at Dams seemingly records a local taxonomic diversification of cainotheriids after the Grande Coupure, with Cainotheriinae being particularly successful. Our phylogenetic analysis, including cainotheriids from Dams, constitutes the first formal phylogeny of Cainotheriidae. Our results, based on mandibular and dental characters, allow us to (i) clarify relationships within Cainotheriidae, (ii) erect a new family Robiacinidae, as being the sister taxon to Cainotheriidae among Cainotherioidea, and, more broadly, (iii) discuss the controversial position of Cainotheriidae within Artiodactyla, as being more closely related to Ruminantia than to Tylopoda.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1F237FB2-480D-4A03-9089-379204EDEFB2

A new late Paleocene phenacodontid 'condylarth' Lophocion from the Clark’s Fork Basin of Wyoming

ABSTRACT Phenacodontidae are a group of archaic ungulates in the early Paleogene and are considered to play an important role in the origin of some other ungulates, including perissodactyls. The early Eocene Lophocion asiaticus, the only unequivocal phenacodontid from Asia, is most closely related to North American Ectocion and probably closer to perissodactyls than is the latter, as evidenced by its more lophodont teeth. Here we named a new species of Lophocion, L. grangeri sp. nov., from the latest Paleocene (Clarkforkian 3) deposit in the Clark’s Fork Basin of Wyoming. Although the holotype of the new species is only known by a right maxilla with P4-M2, its degree of lophodonty is similar to that of Lophocion but diverges from Ectocion in having the incipient protoloph and metaloph on upper molars. In dental morphology, Lophocion grangeri is somewhat intermediate between Ectocion and L. asiaticus, and probably gave rise to the latter during the Paleocene-Eocene transition. Both Lophocion and Ectocion are included in Phenacodontinae rather than Meniscotheriinae, but their phylogenetic relationship with other ungulates still remains obscure.

Long‐term effects of energy development on winter distribution and residency of pronghorn in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

AbstractAn increasing global demand for energy assures continued disturbance to previously undeveloped landscapes, but understanding broader impacts to wildlife remains elusive. Among groups of species most vulnerable to habitat disruption are those requiring large tracts of land. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are an obligate to the open plains and basins that, similar to other transcontinental large herbivores, rely primarily on habitats where development of energy resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, wind, and solar are intensifying. To understand behavioral response to a burgeoning energy development project, we evaluated avoidance, displacement, and winter residency patterns of pronghorn in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem across a 15‐year period using 171 collared individuals. Distance from natural gas well pads increased through time and was concurrent with declines in winter residency. Between 2005 and 2017, we found that (a) pronghorn avoidance of well pads likely increased by 408 m, (b) the overall displacement of pronghorn relative to well pads in the final year of study increased by 800 m, (c) the time pronghorn spent in the study area was reduced by 22% (nearly 1 month), and (d) the percentage of pronghorn leaving the study area increased by 57%. Such directional changes signal a strong behavioral response of an open‐plain obligate to energy infrastructure, and together, these metrics indicate that pronghorn response to energy development involves both avoidance of infrastructure and partial abandonment of their traditional winter ranges. While comparable long‐term data sets are generally unavailable for other functionally equivalent ungulate groups in similar ecological topographies of Asia, Africa, and South America, our study may serve as a reasonable surrogate and highlights that behavioral changes elicited from energy development which at first appear subtle can proliferate and may portend demographic consequences.

Proboscidea from Kanapoi, Kenya

The early Pliocene site of Kanapoi (Turkana Basin, Kenya) has a large, diverse vertebrate sample that contains the earliest representatives of the hominin genus Australopithecus. Included in this sample is an impressive assemblage of fossil proboscideans, comprised of deinotheres (Deinotherium bozasi), anancine gomphotheres (Anancus ultimus), and at least three species of elephant (Loxodonta adaurora, a primitive morph of Loxodonta exoptata, and Elephas ekorensis). A single specimen from high in the sequence could plausibly belong to a primitive stage of Elephas recki. A review of dental carbon isotope analyses indicates a range of dietary habits for these taxa, from dedicated browsing (deinotheres) to mixed feeding/grazing (elephants and gomphotheres), which in early Pliocene elephants corresponds to molars with greater crown height and more plates than in late Miocene confamilials, bringing their morphology more in phase with feeding behavior than was the case in their earlier relatives. Variation in feeding preferences among Kanapoi proboscideans corresponds to evidence for habitat heterogeny, including inferred substantial presence of grasses; the occurrence of multiple megaherbivores may have contributed to the fragmentation of ecosystems, positively affecting early hominin success and aiding diversification of other ungulate groups.

Little to fear: largest lizard predator induces weak defense responses in ungulate prey

Nonconsumptive effects can strongly influence apex predator ecological function. These effects arise because prey often induce costly phenotypic responses to mitigate predation risk. Yet because predator–prey interactions are complex, prey defenses may vary considerably. We investigated if the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), a reptile apex predator, induced multiscale antipredator responses in key prey, the Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) and the wild pig (Sus scrofa). To this end, we examined the temporal and spatial partitioning of habitats by predator and prey, determined the size of ungulate groups as a function of risk, and assessed changes in individual behavior of prey individuals exposed to predator kairomones at feeding stations. Komodo dragon, deer, and pig populations exhibited significant, but subtle differences in 3 habitat preferences that otherwise indicated high niche overlap. Komodo dragon predation risk, alongside other commonly considered predictor variables, did not affect deer or pig group size. With the exception of one individual-based vigilance-type behavior in pigs, no other antipredator behavior, including reduced food consumption, significantly varied in the presence of predator odor cue at feeding stations. Overall, our results indicated limited evidence for antipredator behavior and suggested Komodo dragons exert weak nonconsumptive effects of predation in ungulates. However, weak predatory interactions could be beneficial in island ecosystems as it could promote predator–prey coexistence that reduces extinction risk.