Spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta feeding ecology and selectivity of large herbivorous prey in the Namib desert

We have investigated the relationship between spotted hyaenas in the south Namib Desert and large herbivorous prey and have summarized an updated overview of predator‐prey relationships in this resource‐limited arid environment. Over the 52‐month study, we recorded the densities (#/km⁻², ±SE) of the four local large herbivorous prey species: gemsbok (1.229, ±0.50), springbok (1.352, ±0.48), ostrich (0.648, ±0.23), and greater kudu (0.343, ±0.00). A fecal analysis was performed on 146 collected spotted hyaena scats, and prey items were identified and hairs cross‐follicle analyzed to the species level. Spotted hyaena diet at the study area remained opportunistic with 240 identified prey items representing eight differing prey species being recorded, ranging from ostrich eggs to large ungulates. The Ivlev''s Electivity Index was used to determine which large herbivorous prey was most selected for. Although gemsbok had a higher representation of prey items in the sampled scats, all sampled large herbivorous prey species scored below 0 and are thus generally avoided in relation to their availability in the environment. If any prey preferences are expressed by spotted hyaena in the Namib, it can be presumed to be a nonsampled prey species. We therefore promote further detailed investigations into all other prey species present, and seasonal variations of prey densities and scat sampling, within the study environment.     

Flexible feeding on cultivated underground storage organs by rainforest-dwelling chimpanzees at Bossou, West Africa

It has been proposed that exploitation of underground storage organs (USOs) played an important role in the evolution of the genus Homo, these items serving as ‘fallback foods’ during periods of low food availability. The use of USOs as food by wild chimpanzees is infrequent and seen mostly in populations inhabiting relatively arid environments, such as the savanna. Here, we specifically test the hypothesis that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) inhabiting tropical wet forest at Bossou (Republic of Guinea, West Africa) exploit USOs as a fallback food during periods of fruit scarcity. Chimpanzees were never observed feeding on wild USOs, that is, those that were never cultivated, and rarely on other underground plant parts. However, direct observations revealed regular consumption of the USOs of cultivated cassava (Manihot esculenta), a spatially abundant and continuously available plant, although the chimpanzees did not use tools when acquiring and feeding on cassava. In agreement with the fallback foods hypothesis, our results show that chimpanzees exploited cassava USOs more frequently when both wild and cultivated fruits were scarce, and consumption patterns of cassava paralleled those of wild fallback foods. These seasonal extractive USO foraging strategies by chimpanzees can strengthen attempts to construct a clearer picture of the importance of USO feeding in hominoid evolution.     

Do Confocal Microscopy and Tardigrades Have a Future Together?

Confocal microscopy was used with acridine orange as a fluorescent probe to optically section Echiniscus testudo (Doyère, 1840) (Echiniscidae). The advantages of the confocal technique and possible developments are discussed.