Patterns of den occupation by the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)

Spotted hyaenas utilize isolated natal dens (NDs) and communal dens (CDs) for rearing their cubs. Here we describe patterns of natal and CD occupation by hyaenas belonging to one well‐studied clan in the Maasai Mara National Reserve during a 10‐year period. Locations of 98 den sites that were used as natal or CDs by hyaenas in the study clan were digitized in a Geographic Information System, and the duration of use of each den site, frequency of re‐use, and distances involved in den moves were quantified. Hyaenas moved their CD monthly on average. Most CD sites were occupied only once during the study, but several sites were used repeatedly. On rare occasions, the movement of hyaenas to a new den site could be attributed to a disturbance event at the CD, but factors regularly prompting hyaenas to move to new CD sites were unclear. High‐ranking female hyaenas were more likely to rear their cubs from birth in a CD than low‐ranking females. Low‐ranking females almost always utilized isolated NDs for the first few weeks of a litter's development, and low‐ranking females transferred their cubs over longer distances than did high‐ranking females.     

Agnetina den, a new species of perlid stonefly (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Vietnam

A new species of perlid stonefly, Agnetina den, is described from Vietnam. Male adults of this species can be easily distinguished by their black body color pattern, submedian patches of sensilla basiconica on hemitergites 7–8, and clusters of long dense fine setae on the inner sides the abdominal tergites. Illustrations of habitat and diagnostic characters are presented.     

Krebs Von den Lungen-6 as a predictive indicator for the risk of secondary pulmonary fibrosis and its reversibility in COVID-19 patients

Dysregulated immune response and abnormal repairment could cause secondary pulmonary fibrosis of varying severity in COVID-19, especially for the elders. The Krebs Von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) as a sensitive marker reflects the degree of fibrosis and this study will focus on analyzing the evaluative efficacy and predictive role of KL-6 in COVID-19 secondary pulmonary fibrosis. The study lasted more than three months and included total 289 COVID-19 patients who were divided into moderate (n=226) and severe groups (n=63) according to the severity of illness. Clinical information such as inflammation indicators, radiological results and lung function tests were collected. The time points of nucleic acid test were also recorded. Furthermore, based on Chest radiology detection, it was identified that 80 (27.7%) patients developed reversible pulmonary fibrosis and 34 (11.8%) patients developed irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis shows that KL-6 could diagnose the severity of COVID-19 (AUC=0.862) and predict the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis (AUC = 0.741) and irreversible pulmonary fibrosis (AUC=0.872). Importantly, the cross-correlation analysis demonstrates that KL-6 rises earlier than the development of lung radiology fibrosis, thus also illuminating the predictive function of KL-6. We set specific values (505U/mL and 674U/mL) for KL-6 in order to assess the risk of pulmonary fibrosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The survival curves for days in hospital show that the higher the KL-6 levels, the longer the hospital stay (P<0.0001). In conclusion, KL-6 could be used as an important predictor to evaluate the secondary pulmonary fibrosis degree for COVID-19.     

Cornelis den hartog: An outstanding aquatic ecologist

A survey is given of the work and life of Cornelis den Hartog up to the date in 1996 at which he retired from his position as a professor at the University of Nijmegen. Cornelis (Kees) den Hartog made important contributions to aquatic ecology in the widest sense,e.g. on brackish water typology, meiofauna (microturbellaria), macroinvertebrates, littoral algae, seagrasses and aquatic macrophytes. He favoured the ecosystem approach in aquatic ecology by studying structure and functioning in an integrated way. He lead 31 students to their doctor's degree (PhD).     

A Multiscale Assessment of Den Selection by Black Bears in Louisiana

ABSTRACT Understanding den selection for the federally threatened Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) will assist managers in effectively managing bear populations and the landscapes they inhabit. We assessed den selection of 72 female Louisiana black bears at multiple spatial scales in northern and central Louisiana, USA. We used 230 den-years to examine den type preference, microhabitat characteristics of dens, and effects of landscape characteristics on den selection. We also evaluated reuse of tree dens and their availability across several study areas. Bears selected tree dens more frequently (65%) than ground dens. Most (55%) ground dens were associated with standing or downed trees, and most tree dens were in baldcypress (Taxodium distichum; 86%) or surrounded by water (80%). Selection of ground dens was positively associated with landscape metrics related to presence of water, whereas selection of tree dens was positively associated with proximity to edge and greater proportions of swamp and areas containing water. Reuse of tree dens averaged 15% (range = 0–20%) across study areas and our estimates of tree-den availability indicated that tree dens were not a limiting resource for Louisiana black bears in the northern or central portions of Louisiana. Although Louisiana black bears demonstrated plasticity in den selection, we recommend managers use forest management practices that conserve appropriate tree dens and create ground-denning opportunities, because both would promote the recovery of Louisiana black bear populations.     

Scats and den contents as indicators of the diet of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the Tasman Valley,South Canterbury,New Zealand

Stoats are significant predators of native fauna in New Zealand. They occur in many habitat types and consume a wide range of prey. The diet of stoats in the Tasman River, South Canterbury, was studied by analysis of scats and den contents. Analysis of 206 scats showed that stoats ate mainly lagomorphs, birds and invertebrates. Minor components included mice, lizards, fish and hedgehogs. Stoats ate more birds in spring than in autumn, and female stoats ate more invertebrates than did males. The contents of 219 dens collected in the same area at the same time provided further information. Birds and lagomorphs occurred at high frequency in dens, and other components were minor. Remains in dens were larger than in scats and allowed identification of many more prey items to species level. Den contents revealed a potentially substantial impact of stoats on threatened shorebirds locally; this impact was not detected by analysis of scats.     

The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population and its prey from the Late Pleistocene Teufelskammer Cave hyena den besides the famous Paleolithic Neandertal Cave (NRW,NW Germany)

Remains from at least seven individuals of the Late Pleistocene Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) from the Teufelskammer Cave in the Neandertal valley (North Rhine-Westphalia, northwest Germany) are described. The small cave was a well-frequented hyena den of the Early to Middle Late Pleistocene which was only 100 m from the famous small Feldhofer Cave, where the first Neandertal human skeleton was found. The high amount of hyena bone material (37%) and its strongly chewed and incomplete prey remains of the mixed mammoth steppe and boreal forest megafauna prove one more of 11 recently known hyena den caves in the Rhenish Massif. Hyenas and cave bears have used the cave, but Neandertal humans lived possibly not at the same time in the same valley. Although hyenas occupied mainly the smaller caves such as the Teufelskammer Cave, humans preferred large portal cave entrances such as in the Neandertal valley with the Small Feldhofer Cave.     

Denning in brown bears

1. Hibernation represents an adaptation for coping with unfavorable environmental conditions. For brown bears Ursus arctos, hibernation is a critical period as pronounced temporal reductions in several physiological functions occur.
2. Here, we review the three main aspects of brown bear denning: (1) den chronology, (2) den characteristics, and (3) hibernation physiology in order to identify (a) proximate and ultimate factors of hibernation as well as (b) research gaps and conservation priorities.
3. Den chronology, which varies by sex and reproductive status, depends on environmental factors, such as snow, temperature, food availability, and den altitude. Significant variation in hibernation across latitudes occurs for both den entry and exit.
4. The choice of a den and its surroundings may affect individual fitness, for example, loss of offspring and excessive energy consumption. Den selection is the result of broad‐ and fine‐scale habitat selection, mainly linked to den insulation, remoteness, and availability of food in the surroundings of the den location.
5. Hibernation is a metabolic challenge for the brown bears, in which a series of physiological adaptations in tissues and organs enable survival under nutritional deprivation, maintain high levels of lipids, preserve muscle, and bone and prevent cardiovascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis.

It is important to understand: (a) proximate and ultimate factors in denning behavior and the difference between actual drivers of hibernation (i.e., factors to which bears directly respond) and their correlates; (b) how changes in climatic factors might affect the ability of bears to face global climate change and the human‐mediated changes in food availability; (c) hyperphagia (period in which brown bears accumulate fat reserves), predenning and denning periods, including for those populations in which bears do not hibernate every year; and (d) how to approach the study of bear denning merging insights from different perspectives, that is, physiology, ecology, and behavior.     

Characteristics of African wild dog natal dens selected under different interspecific predation pressures

To successfully reproduce, many carnivorous mammals need access to suitable den sites. Den site selection is often based on fitness related criteria like escape from predators, food availability and shelter from extreme weather conditions. African wild dogs are cooperative breeders that use a den to give birth to their offspring. They often co-exist with lions and spotted hyenas, both of which are known to kill African wild dog pups. Little is known about den site selection by African wild dogs. In this study, we compared vegetation characteristics and distribution of roads and waterholes around den sites and random sites, in areas with high and low lion and spotted hyena densities. In both areas, African wild dogs selected den sites in closed woodland with little visibility, which is likely to reduce detection by predators, increase the likelihood of escape when detected, and might provide shelter from extreme weather conditions. In the high predator density area, African wild dogs seemed to spatially avoid predators by selecting den sites in this type of habitat relatively further away from waterholes and roads. African wild dogs have high energetic costs of gestation. Therefore, even when predation risk is relatively low, they are likely to try to maximise their fitness by choosing a den site in habitat that will provide optimal protection for their offspring, leaving little additional options to respond to a higher predation pressure.     

First report of captive New Guinea dingo (Canis dingo hallstromi) den-digging and parental behavior

New Guinea dingoes (NGDs) (Canis dingo hallstromi; Troughton [1957] Proc Roy Soc new South Wells 1955–1956:93–94) have been kept in zoos since 1956. Almost nothing is known of their wild behavior. These observations of a captive pair are the first documentation of natal den‐digging and parental behavior for this taxon. The main den, excavated near the top of a 1.5 m hill, consisted of a rounded chamber about 50.8 cm deep, with an entrance about 30.5 cm high and 40.6 cm wide. The dam frequently moved the pups from the natal den to secondary locations for short periods during the day and then back to the den, starting when the pups were 2 weeks old. When the pups were between 5 and 12 weeks of age, both parents regularly regurgitated for them. The sire expressed escalating threat behavior toward the male pup starting when the pup was 5 months old, and the female began threatening the female pups at about 6 months of age. Rejection of same‐sex offspring is usual for captive NGDs as the next breeding season approaches. Zoo Biol 30:445–450, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population,their excrements and prey from the Late Pleistocene hyena den of the Sloup Cave in the Moravian Karst,Czech Republic

A Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population from the cave bear den Sloup Cave, Moravia (Czech Republic) consists of mainly adult/senior and few cub/juvenile remains and coprolites, and 139 prey bones. Hyenas used the Nicová Cave branch that is connected to the entrance area mainly as a communal den site. Prey bone damage is most visible on the imported woolly rhinoceros remains. The partly excavated prey bone accumulation consists of a single woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach 1799) tooth (2%), mainly Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach 1807) remains (16%), 4% Bos primigenius (Bojanus 1827) and 1% each of Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach 1799) and Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus 1758). The other carnivores such as Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810), Gulo gulo (Linnaeus 1758) and Canis lupus (Linnaeus 1758) subsp. are less represented (1–3%). Wolverines might have been imported also as prey remains, whereas wolves also possibly used this cave on a short-term basis, whereas steppe lions seem to have preyed upon cave bears deeper in the cave periodically, where even skeletons of P. leo spelaea were found in the Elisabeth Cave part.     

小兴安岭林区黑熊对冬眠仓的选择

2002年11月至2003年4月、2003年11月至2004年3月,在东北小兴安岭林区对黑熊冬眠仓的特征和仓址选择进行了研究.采用网状排查的方法,调查熊仓111个和未被利用的树洞(26)、岩洞(12),其中树仓72个,地仓36个,明仓3个.结果表明:72个利用树仓和26个未利用树洞的坡度和灌丛盖度差异显著;坡度、灌丛盖度、仓口到地面高度、海拔、树高等因子与利用状况关联紧密;黑熊对树仓周围植被偏好利用针叶林和杂木林,回避阔叶林,对针阔叶混交林生境随机利用;对树仓的洞口有选择性,选择利用只有一个上洞口或侧口的树洞,回避有多个洞口的树洞;而对坡向、坡位、树种、枯树/活树和洞口朝向的利用无选择性.36个利用地仓和12个未利用岩洞的树高和坡度差异极显著,人为干扰距离因子差异显著,其余各项数量型因子差异不显著;树高、坡度、人为干扰距离、灌丛盖度、仓口长和海拔等因子与利用状况关联紧密.黑熊对地仓偏好利用上坡位和中坡位,回避下坡位;对地仓的洞口朝向选择利用仓口朝向阳面的地仓,回避阴面,对洞口朝向半阴半阳面的地仓随机利用.对植被类型、坡向、树种、枯树/活树和树洞/岩洞的利用无选择性.在小兴安岭南坡的带岭林区研究中还发现,当树仓、地仓被火烧过以后,将不再被黑熊利用;但是黑熊并不离开冬眠巢域,而是就地自建巢穴,利用明仓过冬.     

Ueber den Geruch bei den Pilzen

Ohne ZusammenfassungAus den Mittheilungen der naturforsch. Gesellschaft in Bern. 1852. A. d. R.     

上海郊区狗獾活动规律的初步研究

2007年1月～2008年1月在上海郊区奉贤,通过红外监视仪埘狗獾Meles meles活动规律进行了研究.结果表明,狗獾晚间出洞活动,出洞时间集中在19:00～22:00,该时间段出洞次数占总次数的72.7%.返回洞穴的时间集中在凌晨2:00-4:00,该时间段回洞次数占总数的84.5%.狗獾每晚在洞外活动持续时间平均6 h.季节间的活动持续时间存在显著差异,其巾秋季活动持续时间最长达8.23 h,冬季活动持续时间最短为3.11 h.上海郊区生活的狗獾无冬眠行为.     

Early maternal behavior of wild cheetahs: Implications for captive husbandry

Against a background of poor breeding success and cub survival in captive cheetahs, a knowledge of the early maternal behavior in the wild may yield useful information for comparison with the captive situation. This paper documents the types of lair sites used by mothers to conceal their newborn cubs in the wild situation, and details patterns of maternal behavior observed during this period. Four kinds of lairs were used by cheetah mothers, and the amount of protection from the elements and predators was assessed for each. Lair type appeared to have little effect on cub survival. Cubs were concealed in lairs for 8.2 weeks on average, although larger litters tended to leave lairs earlier. During this period, cubs were moved to new lairs approximately every 5.6 days. Cubs were left for an average of 9.6 hours while their mothers went hunting, but mothers virtually always returned to them around nightfall, even if they failed to catch any prey. Maternal neglect and cub abandonment, which account for many cub deaths in captivity, are abnormal in the wild, except when prey is very scarce. Improved husbandry techniques, such as the provision of multiple, secluded nest boxes, and remote monitoring conditions should promote breeding success in captivity. In addition, noise and human disturbance should be minimized.     

Über den sexuellen Kerndimorphismus bei den Prosobranchia

Ohne Zusammenfassung