Population dynamics of the Ethiopian endemic rodent Praomys albipes in the Menagesha State Forest

Bimonthly live-trapping over 15 months of 1 ha grid in the Menagesha State Forest, Ethiopia, revealed six species of rodents, dominated by Praomys albipes (64.3% of the catch). All age groups were recorded at each trapping occasion, and pregnant females were observed throughout the year. Both snap-trapping and captive breeding programmes suggest a mean litter size greater than 4 (range 2–8). Despite this, the monthly density and biomass of captured rodents declined towards the last trapping occasions from 35 to 12/ha and 1546 to 454 g/ha, respectively.