Procavia Research Articles

De l'ombre aux Lumières et réciproquement : redécouverte du crâne deProcavia capensis(Pallas, 1766) (Hyracoidea, Mammalia) décrit en 1767 par Daubenton dans l'Histoire naturelle

From darkness to Enlightenment, and vice versa: rediscovery of the skull of Procavia capensis (Pallas, 1766) (Hyracoidea, Mammalia) described in 1767 by Daubenton in the Histoire naturelle.A skull of Procavia capensis (Pallas, 1766) (Hyracoidea, Mammalia), currently on display in the Galerie de Paleontologie et d'Anatomie comparee (Paleontology and comparative Anatomy Gallery) of the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, is here identified as the one Daubenton described in 1767 in the catalog of the viviparous quadruped collections of the King's Cabinet he wrote for Buffon's Histoire naturelle (Natural History). While Daubenton clearly recognized in this skull from Sidon, Lebanon, the most remarkable characters of hyracoids, especially the teeth, he could not identify the animal, since the first precise description of the species was published by Pallas at the same time (at the end of 1766). In subsequent volumes of the Histoire naturelle, Buffon repeatedly dealt with the hyrax, on the basis of new data, but he failed to assign the skull of Sidon to this species, although Pallas recognized the nature of this skull as early as 1776. In a volume of the Histoire naturelle published in 1789, after Buffon's death, this skull was illustrated on a plate and considered as belonging to a primate, the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis (Lacepede, 1800)). Fifteen years later, it was one of the specimens which enabled Cuvier to remove the hyrax from the order Glires or Rodents, in which it was generally placed since Pallas, to assign it to the Pachydermes.

Sociality Affects REM Sleep Episode Duration Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions in the Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis.

The rock hyrax, Procavia capensis, is a highly social, diurnal mammal. In the current study several physiologically measurable parameters of sleep, as well as the accompanying behavior, were recorded continuously from five rock hyraxes, for 72 h under solitary (experimental animal alone in the recording chamber), and social conditions (experimental animal with 1 or 2 additional, non-implanted animals in the recording chamber). The results revealed no significant differences between solitary and social conditions for total sleep times, number of episodes, episode duration or slow wave activity (SWA) for all states examined. The only significant difference observed between social and solitary conditions was the average duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep episodes. REM sleep episode duration was on average 20 s and 40 s longer under social conditions daily and during the dark period, respectively. It is hypothesized that the increase in REM sleep episode duration under social conditions could possibly be attributed to improved thermoregulation strategies, however considering the limited sample size and design of the current study further investigations are needed to confirm this finding. Whether the conclusions and the observations made in this study can be generalized to all naturally socially sleeping mammals remains an open question.

Male hyraxes increase countersinging as strangers become ‘nasty neighbours’

Many territorial animals interact less aggressively with neighbours than with strangers, a phenomenon known as the ‘dear enemy’ effect, although some species show the opposite behaviour. Rock hyraxes, Procavia capensis, are social mammals that communicate via a rich acoustic repertoire. Male hyraxes produce elaborate advertisement calls (i.e. songs) both spontaneously and in response to occasional attention-grabbing events (e.g. pup screams, agonistic interaction), as well as to conspecific male songs. When replying to conspecific songs, male hyraxes tend to respond more to familiar males than to strangers, reflecting the ‘nasty neighbour’ effect. Our study relates to the general question of why some species respond aggressively towards neighbours, while others are more aggressive towards strangers. We hypothesized that male hyraxes eventually familiarize themselves with a stranger, subsequently perceiving its intentions as highly threatening and deserving of a vocal response. To simulate the presence of a stranger in the area we exposed wild hyrax groups to playbacks of natural songs of unfamiliar hyraxes. Male rock hyraxes became more likely to reply to a stranger's song over time, but this was independent of the number of times they heard the song. This suggests that either (1) the threat presented by a stranger increases when it is no longer perceived as transient or (2) because listeners do not physically encounter the stranger, they perceive replying aggressively as a low-risk response. Our work implies that species may demonstrate a range of condition-dependent behaviours instead of a dichotomy between the ‘nasty neighbour’ and ‘dear enemy’ strategies.

Bush Hyrax, Heterohyrax brucei, sunbathing on a flat rock in Mpala Ranch, Kenya. This species is smaller than the Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis, and has darker, grey fur with more obvious white facial markings. Photograph reproduced by permission of Emmanuel Do Linh San.

EthologyVolume 123, Issue 9 p. i-i Front CoverFree Access Bush Hyrax, Heterohyrax brucei, sunbathing on a flat rock in Mpala Ranch, Kenya. This species is smaller than the Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis, and has darker, grey fur with more obvious white facial markings. Photograph reproduced by permission of Emmanuel Do Linh San. First published: 17 August 2017 https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12554AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume123, Issue9September 2017Pages i-i RelatedInformation

The Basicranial Axis in the Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis (Pallas, 1766) (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Hyracoidea): Novel Structure of the Frontal Bone

The composition of the basicranial axis has been reported in the comparative literature in numerous extant and extinct mammals. The primary components are unpaired endochondral bones: the ethmoid, presphenoid, basisphenoid, and basioccipital. Ventral to these are several dermal elements: included are the unpaired vomer, which is widely present, and three bones with more limited distributions, the paired palatines, the paired pterygoids, and the unpaired parasphenoid. Here, we describe novel dermal structures on the dorsal aspect of the basicranial axis in the rock hyrax, Procavia capensis. This taxon has a medial process of the paired frontal bones that meets on the midline and overlies the presphenoid at its juncture with the ethmoid; we term this the presphenoid process of the frontal. Ventral to the presphenoid process is a second smaller process that is off the midline and presents a facet contacting a boss on the presphenoid; we term this the presphenoid facet of the frontal. Occupying the notch between these two structures is the ethmoidal nerve. We sampled the taxonomically diverse collections of the Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the literature. We found additional instances of interfrontal contact dorsal to the ethmoid and presphenoid in the artiodactyl Neotragus and in various platyrrhine and catarrhine primates resembling the presphenoid process of the frontal of P. capensis. However, we did not find a presphenoid facet of the frontal in Neotragus and the primates, which, therefore, thus far is unique to P. capensis. Additionally, we report the presence of a midline suture on the ventral surface of the presphenoid of neonatal P. capensis, which, to our knowledge, is also unique to this mammal.

The progression pattern of male hyrax songs and the role of climactic ending

The study of animal vocal signals can either focus on the properties of distinct vocal elements or address the signal as a whole. Although some attention has been given to the continuous progression patterns of bird songs, such patterns in mammalian vocalisations have been largely overlooked. We examined temporal changes in structural and acoustic parameters in male rock hyrax songs. We found a gradual increase in call frequency and amplitude towards the song ending, as well as an abrupt increase in bout syntactic complexity, peaking in the last quintile of a song. In musical terms, such a pattern can be described as a crescendo (amplitude increase) with a terminal climax. In Western music, crescendos are used to maintain attention and direct the listeners towards a memorable highpoint of the musical piece. This structure may have an analogous function in animal communication, recruiting audience attention towards the climactic and potentially most informative part of the signal. Our playback experiments revealed that hyrax males tend to reply more to songs with a climactic ending, indicating that this progression pattern is important for hyrax communication. We suggest that animal vocal communication research can benefit from adding musical concepts to the analysis toolbox.

Olive baboons' (Papio anubis) response towards crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) at Lake Manyara National Park.

In this paper we report on two encounters between olive baboons (Papio anubis) and crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) at Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. During these encounters olive baboons responded by giving alarm calls and all infants and juveniles rushed down from trees seeking cover under bushes or close proximity to adult conspecifics. In one of the events, alarm calls from banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) and rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) most likely triggered alarm calling of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) which in turn prompted baboons to respond with alarm calls as well. In both observations, adult male baboons took the lead in climbing trees, threatening the eagle (staring, yawning, ground slapping) and chasing it away. The reaction of the baboons suggests that crowned eagles pose a threat at least for juvenile baboons at Lake Manyara National Park.

Dental eruption and growth in Hyracoidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria)

ABSTRACTWe investigated dental homologies, development, and growth in living and fossil hyracoids and tested if hyracoids and other mammals show correlations between eruption patterns, gestation time, and age at maturity. Unlike living species, fossil hyracoids simultaneously possess replaced P1 and canine teeth. Fossil species also have shorter crowns, an I3/i3, I2, and a hypoconulid on m3. Prenatal specimens of the living Procavia capensis and Heterohyrax brucei show up to three tooth buds posterior to dI1 and anterior to the seven upper cheek teeth that consistently erupt; erupted teeth include an anterior premolar but not a canine. Most lower cheek teeth finish eruption during growth in hyracoids, not after growth as in most other afrotherians. All hyracoids show the m1 at (lower) or near (upper) the beginning of eruption of permanent teeth; M3/m3 is the last permanent tooth to erupt. The living P. capensis erupts most lower antemolar loci before m2. In contrast, fossil hyraxes erupt lower antemolars after m2. Although the early eruption of antemolars correlates with increased gestation time and age at maturity in primates and Tupaia (i.e., ‘Schultz's rule’), and although modern hyraxes resemble some anthropoid primates in exhibiting long gestation and eruption of antemolars at or before molars, eruption patterns do not significantly covary with either life history parameter among afrotherians sampled so far. However, we do observe a shift in eruption timing and crown height in Procavia relative to fossil hyracoids, mirroring observations recently made for other ungulate-grade mammals.SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP Citation for this article: Asher, R. J., G. F. Gunnell, E. R. Seiffert, D. Pattinson, R. Tabuce, L. Hautier, and H. M. Sallam. 2017. Dental eruption and growth in Hyracoidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1317638.

Do hyraxes benefit from human presence in Serengeti?

AbstractUnderstanding the factors affecting a species’ population size is crucial for conservation initiatives. Hyraxes are small, gregarious animals, predominantly found on kopjes (rock outcrops) and thus form metapopulation communities. In Tanzania, two species of hyraxes inhabit Serengeti National Park, the rock hyrax Procavia capensis johnstoni and bush hyrax Heterohyrax brucei. This study focuses on the factors that affect hyrax population size, including factors such as human presence, habitat type, kopje size and kopje height. We found that larger and taller kopjes tended to have more hyraxes than smaller ones, while kopjes in wooded grassland had more hyraxes than kopjes in grassland. Human presence often affects species negatively, but in the case of hyraxes, we found that kopjes with human presence had larger populations than kopjes without humans. We discuss possible explanations for this and suggest that human presence is related to fewer predators and higher food availability.

Life on the rocks: Multilocus phylogeography of rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) from southern Africa

Understanding the role of geography and climatic cycles in determining patterns of biodiversity is important in comparative and evolutionary biology and conservation. We studied the phylogeographic pattern and historical demography of a rock-dwelling small mammal species from southern Africa, the rock hyrax Procavia capensis capensis. Using a multilocus coalescent approach, we assessed the influence of strong habitat dependence and fluctuating regional climates on genetic diversity. We sequenced a mitochondrial gene (cytochrome b) and two nuclear introns (AP5, PRKC1) supplemented with microsatellite genotyping, in order to assess evolutionary processes over multiple temporal scales. In addition, distribution modelling was used to investigate the current and predicted distribution of the species under different climatic scenarios. Collectively, the data reveal a complex history of isolation followed by secondary contact shaping the current intraspecific diversity. The cyt b sequences confirmed the presence of two previously proposed geographically and genetically distinct lineages distributed across the southern African Great Escarpment and north-western mountain ranges. Molecular dating suggests Miocene divergence of the lineages, yet there are no discernible extrinsic barriers to gene flow. The nuclear markers reveal incomplete lineage sorting or ongoing mixing of the two lineages. Although the microsatellite data lend some support to the presence of two subpopulations, there is weak structuring within and between lineages. These data indicate the presence of gene flow from the northern into the southern parts of the southern African sub-region likely following the secondary contact. The distribution modelling predictably reveal the species’ preference for rocky areas, with stable refugia through time in the northern mountain ranges, the Great Escarpment, as well as restricted areas of the Northern Cape Province and the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa. Different microclimatic variables appear to determine the distributional range of the species. Despite strong habitat preference, the micro-habitat offered by rocky crevices and unique life history traits likely promoted the adaptability of P. capensis, resulting in the widespread distribution and persistence of the species over a long evolutionary period. Spatio-temporal comparison of the evolutionary histories of other co-distributed species across the rocky landscapes of southern Africa will improve our understanding of the regional patterns of biodiversity and local endemism.

Benzophenone and Fimetarone Derivatives from the Coprophilous Fungus Delitschia confertaspora.

Studies of the genome-sequenced, flutimide-producing coprophilous fungus Delitschia confertaspora (ATCC 74209), originally obtained from a sample of rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) dung collected in Namibia, led to the discovery of three new highly aromatic natural products named delicoferones A-B (1-2) and fimetarone B (3). The new benzophenone derivatives 1 and 2 have a somewhat unusual skeleton that incorporates three aromatic rings linked via two ketone carbonyl groups, while 3 contains a spiro[chroman-3,7'-isochromene]-4,6'(8'H) skeleton reported only once previously. The structures of these compounds were assigned mainly by analysis of 2D NMR and HRESITOFMS data.

Wildlife Population Dynamics in Human-Dominated Landscapes under Community-Based Conservation: The Example of Nakuru Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya.

Wildlife conservation is facing numerous and mounting challenges on private and communal lands in Africa, including in Kenya. We analyze the population dynamics of 44 common wildlife species in relation to rainfall variation in the Nakuru Wildlife Conservancy (NWC), located in the Nakuru-Naivasha region of Kenya, based on ground total counts carried out twice each year from March 1996 to May 2015. Rainfall in the region was quasi-periodic with cycle periods dependent on the rainfall component and varying from 2.8 years for the dry season to 10.9 years for the wet season. These oscillations are associated with frequent severe droughts and food scarcity for herbivores. The trends for the 44 wildlife species showed five general patterns during 1996–2015. 1) Steinbuck, bushbuck, hartebeest and greater kudu numbers declined persistently and significantly throughout 1996–2015 and thus merit the greatest conservation attention. 2) Klipspringer, mongoose, oribi, porcupine, cheetah, leopard, ostrich and Sykes monkey numbers also decreased noticeably but not significantly between 1996 and 2015. 3) Dik dik, eland, African hare, Jackal, duiker, hippo and Thomson’s gazelle numbers first increased and then declined between 1996 and 2015 but only significantly for duiker and hippo. 4) Aardvark, serval cat, colobus monkey, bat-eared fox, reedbuck, hyena and baboon numbers first declined and then increased but only the increases in reedbuck and baboon numbers were significant. 5) Grant’s gazelle, Grevy’s zebra, lion, spring hare, Burchell’s zebra, bushpig, white rhino, rock hyrax, topi, oryx, vervet monkey, guinea fowl, giraffe, and wildebeest numbers increased consistently between 1996 and 2015. The increase was significant only for rock hyrax, topi, vervet monkey, guinea fowl, giraffe and wildebeest. 6) Impala, buffalo, warthog, and waterbuck, numbers increased significantly and then seemed to level off between 1996 and 2015. The aggregate biomass of primates and carnivores increased overall whereas that of herbivores first increased from 1996 to 2006 and then levelled off thereafter. Aggregate herbivore biomass increased linearly with increasing cumulative wet season rainfall. The densities of the 30 most abundant species were either strongly positively or negatively correlated with cumulative past rainfall, most commonly with the early wet season component. The collaborative wildlife conservation and management initiatives undertaken on the mosaic of private, communal and public lands were thus associated with increase or no decrease in numbers of 32 and decrease in numbers of 12 of the 44 species. Despite the decline by some species, effective community-based conservation is central to the future of wildlife in the NWC and other rangelands of Kenya and beyond and is crucially dependent on the good will, effective engagement and collective action of local communities, working in partnerships with various organizations, which, in NWC, operated under the umbrella of the Nakuru Wildlife Forum.

A mixed strategy of counter-singing behavior in male rock hyrax vocal competitions

Maynard-Smith’s game-theoretical framework suggests that conflicts should be resolved through an exchange of agonistic displays which can be as effective as physical attack in securing contested resources. Hence, participants use signaling tactics that are governed by game-theoretical competition rules to maximize their benefit from the interaction. In rock hyraxes, males initiate singing in response to conspecific male songs, possibly to self-advertise and to facilitate comparison of performance by receivers. We hypothesized that hyrax counter-singing strategy can be explained by resident-intruder model and its outcome is determined by the identity and ability of the participants. Natural hyrax singing events and playback-induced events were classified according to the participants’ residence status—resident or bachelor (i.e., non-resident). As predicted by the resident-intruder model, resident listeners tended to reply to conspecific males at high rates (≈40 %), while bachelors showed low reply rates (17 %) to resident initiators. Unexpectedly, the lowest-ranking bachelors showed a tendency to reply to the highest-ranking residents. One possible explanation for this counter-intuitive behavior might be that weaker individuals exploit a situation in which it is unremunerated for a stronger opponent to retaliate (i.e., Napoleon strategy) and seize a self-advertisement opportunity in front of a large audience attending to the high-ranking males’ signal. Overall, we show that male hyraxes employ different counter-singing tactics depending on the residence and rank differences between the participants. This choice of competition tactics can be based on opponents’ individual recognition or/and on direct decoding of opponents’ traits encoded in the song. In nature, conflicts are usually resolved through signaling rather than by actual fighting. Rock hyrax males often participate in vocal competitions, possibly to reduce the need for physical confrontations. During our study on the dynamics of male hyrax vocal competition, we discovered that hyraxes employ mixed counter-singing strategy dependent on the residence status and social rank differences between the participants. A paradoxical “Napoleon-complex” tactic was observed in interactions between males, when low ranking bachelors were found to interact and challenge the highest-ranking residents. On the other hand, residents were found to interact with opponents regardless of residency and/or rank. On top of the cognitive abilities required to individually recognize an opponent and possibly decode its vocal signals, our results suggest that male hyraxes compare own individual traits to those of the opponent in a mutual signal assessment interaction.

Experimental elevation of wildlife testosterone using silastic tube implants

Testosterone (T) is a key androgen that mediates vertebrate molecular, cellular, and behavioral processes. Its manipulation is therefore of interest to a vast number of researchers studying animal behavior and reproduction, among others. Here, the usage of silastic implants across wildlife species is reviewed, and a method to manipulate rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) testosterone levels using silastic implants is presented. Using a series of in-vitro and in-vivo experiments, the secretion patterns of silastic tubes and silastic glue were tested and were surprisingly found to be similar. In addition, we studied endogenous T levels in wild-captured rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), and using T implants succeeded in elevating T to the maximal physiological concentrations recorded during the mating period. The number of implants that were inserted was the only predictor of T levels, and seven 20mm implants were found to be the optimal dose. Implants induced sexual behaviors in the non-reproductive period. The duration of time that the implants were in the hyrax was the only significant factor that influenced the amount of T left over in the implant once it was removed. All together we affirm that T implants may offer a versatile tool for wildlife behavioral research by elevating T levels in the non-breeding period to maximal breeding levels.

Stable isotope analyses of rock hyrax faecal pellets, hyraceum and associated vegetation in southern Africa: Implications for dietary ecology and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions

Rock hyrax middens are important palaeoenvironmental archives in southern Africa. Carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements on middens (hyraceum) are key components of climate reconstructions, but their interpretations require refinement. Although δ15N in hyraceum often correlates with independent proxies for palaeo-aridity, the impacts of dietary and physiological controls on hyraceum δ15N remain to be resolved. We analyse δ13C and δ15N in plant foliage, hyrax faecal pellets and hyraceum from 21 sites across southern Africa. Faeces are generally depleted in 13C (δ13C typically < −20‰), suggesting significant browsing. Grazing is rarely dominant and probably occurs only when palatable grass is available. Variability in faecal and foliar δ15N is large, but foliar δ15N is positively correlated with faecal δ15N. The diet-faeces δ15N offset is uncorrelated with climate (aridity), but is correlated with %N in faeces. Faecal δ15N is positively correlated with modern hyraceum δ15N, and the relationships with aridity index for foliar and faecal (body tissue) δ15N are comparable. These observations implicate diet as a significant control on hyraceum δ15N and we observe no strong evidence for metabolic controls on hyraceum δ15N. More data are required to refine these relationships, but these observations are consistent with current palaeoenvironmental interpretations of midden δ15N and δ13C.

Current knowledge of sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) of northwestern Yemen and how it relates to leishmaniasis transmission

This report presents the results of the first entomological survey of the sand fly fauna in northwestern Yemen. Sand flies were collected using sticky paper traps and CDC light traps from Hajjah governorate, a cutaneous leishmaniasis focus due to Leishmania tropica. Six Phlebotomus species: P. alexandri, P. arabicus. P. bergeroti, P. orientalis, P. papatasi, P. sergenti and ten Sergentomyia species: S. africana, S. antennata, S. christophersi, S. dolichopa, S. dreyfussi, S. fallax, S. multidens, S. taizi, S. tiberiadis, S. yusafi were identified. P. alexandri was the most predominant Phlebotomus species and P. papatasi was a scarce species. S. fallax was the principal Sergentomyia species and S. dolichopa was the least species encountered. The diversity of the sand fly fauna within and among three altitudinal ranges using Simpson index and Jaccard's diversity coefficient respectively were measured. High species diversity was found in all altitude ranges. There seemed to be more association between sand fly fauna in higher altitudes with fauna from moderate altitudes. Sand fly seasonal activity showed a mono-modal trend in the lowland and a confluent bimodal trend in the highlands. Leishmania DNA could not be detected from 150 Phlebotomus females using PCR-RFLP. A possible zoonotic cutaneous transmission cycle due to Leishmania tropica in northwestern Yemen would involve P. arabicus as the sand fly vector and the rock hyrax as the reservoir host. The vector competence for P. alexandri as a vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Hajjah governorate is discussed.

Using stable isotopes and dental microwear to investigate the utility of rock hyraxes as palaeoenvironmental proxies

Using stable isotopes and dental microwear to investigate the utility of rock hyraxes as palaeoenvironmental proxies

Southwestern African climate change during Heinrich Stadial 1 inferred from plant wax δ13C and δD from rock hyrax middens

To assess the efficacy and safety of Sancai powder in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled with single oral metformin in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).A total of 132 patients with T2DM were enrolled in the study, who only took metformin (500–1000 mg/day) for at least three months and with inadequate glycemic control (7.0% ≤ hemoglobin A1c ≤ 9.0%) in the past three months. The patients stopped taking metformin with lifestyle interventions for three weeks, and 105 patients qualified for the program. They were randomly divided into the Sancai powder group and the metformin group (1500 mg/day). The follow-up period was for 12 weeks. Comparisons of several variables were analyzed.No significant differences were found between the two groups in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2 h post-meal glucose (2hPG), although they had decreased significantly (P < 0.01). Homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function index was significantly improved in Sancai powder group (P < 0.01), and there were significant differences in the changes of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity index in the two groups (P < 0.05). Sancai powder significantly reduced triglyceride level (P < 0.05), although there was no significant difference in the body weight and body mass index in the two groups.In this 12-week study, Sancai powder could significantly reduce hemoglobin A1c, FPG and 2hPG levels, improved beta-cell function and insulin resistance of the T2DM inadequately controlled with metformin.

Diet of nesting African Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus in emerging and forest–savanna habitats in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The aim of this study was to investigate the species composition of prey caught in the forest, savanna and emerging habitats in which African Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus breed in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. At the 17 nest sites, the remains of 195 prey individuals were collected. The five dominant prey species caught were Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis, Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus, Blue Duiker Philantomba monticola, Greater Canerat Thryonomys swinderianus and Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus. All of these species respond positively to urban expansion. Only eagles that nested inside protected areas were recorded preying on domestic animals. In terms of biomass, Bushbuck was one of the dominant taxa, and the remains of an estimated 28.8 kg Bushbuck ram was found under a nest. The surprisingly high proportion of Rock Hyraxes and low proportion of Vervet Monkeys caught in emerging habitat may indicate that African Crowned Eagles nesting in this habitat are adapting to a more specialised feeding strategy compared with those nesting in habitats that are more natural. Future studies should investigate how and why prey proliferates in emerging habitats and examine the association between land uses and the diet of African Crowned Eagles.

Golgi Analysis of Neuron Morphology in the Presumptive Somatosensory Cortex and Visual Cortex of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

The current study investigates neuron morphology in presumptive primary somatosensory (S1) and primary visual (V1) cortices of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) as revealed by Golgi impregnation. Sirenians, including manatees, have an aquatic lifestyle, a large body size, and a relatively large lissencephalic brain. The present study examines neuron morphology in 3 cortical areas: in S1, dorsolateral cortex area 1 (DL1) and cluster cortex area 2 (CL2) and in V1, dorsolateral cortex area 4 (DL4). Neurons exhibited a variety of morphological types, with pyramidal neurons being the most common. The large variety of neuron types present in the manatee cortex was comparable to that seen in other eutherian mammals, except for rodents and primates, where pyramid-shaped neurons predominate. A comparison between pyramidal neurons in S1 and V1 indicated relatively greater dendritic branching in S1. Across all 3 areas, the dendritic arborization pattern of pyramidal neurons was also similar to that observed previously in the afrotherian rock hyrax, cetartiodactyls, opossums, and echidnas but did not resemble the widely bifurcated dendrites seen in the large-brained African elephant. Despite adaptations for an aquatic environment, manatees did not share specific neuron types such as tritufted and star-like neurons that have been found in cetaceans. Manatees exhibit an evolutionarily primitive pattern of cortical neuron morphology shared with most other mammals and do not appear to have neuronal specializations for an aquatic niche.