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Non–invasive approaches are increasingly investigated and applied in studies of small mammal assemblages because they are more cost–effective and bypass conservation and animal welfare issues. However, pellets of diurnal raptors have rarely been used for these purposes. We evaluated the potential of marsh harrier pellets (Circus aeruginosus) as a non–invasive method to sample small mammal assemblages, by comparing the results with those of sampling using Sherman live–traps and pitfalls. The three methods were applied simultaneously in an agricultural–wetland complex in NW Portugal. Estimates of species richness, diversity, evenness, abundance, and proportion of each species within the assemblage showed significant differences between the three methods. Our results suggest that the use of marsh harrier pellets is more effective in inventorying small mammal species than either of the two kinds of traps, while also avoiding any involuntary fatalities associated with the sampling of small non–volant mammals. Moreover, the analysis of pellets was the most cost–effective method. Comparison of the two trapping methodologies showed involuntary fatalities were higher in pitfalls than in Sherman traps. We discuss the advantages and flaws of the three methods, both from technical and conservational perspectives.

Hyla molleri is well adapted to arboreal microhabitats, which are used among breeding seasons. This species is common in wetlands across the Iberian Peninsula and is therefore vulnerable to the loss and degradation of these ecosystems. Due to its secretive habits, the knowledge about the ecology of H. molleri, outside the breeding season, is still scarce. Using artificial refuges as a proxy to natural refuges, we studied how H. molleri uses arboreal microhabitats near reproductive areas and which environmental drivers influence refuge colonisation. We installed 70 PVC pipe refuges in isolated trees and tree patches. Pairs of pipes were installed at two different heights and monitored fortnightly, for four consecutive days, for one year. Each sampling day, we registered the values of variables related with seasonality, microhabitat, dominant plant species, weather and site fidelity. We recorded 2234 individual colonization events by H. molleri, including 516 multiple colonization events, with a maximum of nine individuals in a single refuge. Refuges that were colonized before were more likely to be colonized again. Additionally, colonization was lower in spring and summer and higher in tree clusters than in isolated trees. We found no significant differences on the height or temperature of colonized versus non-colonized refuges. Our results highlight the importance of adequate arboreal microhabitats and the need for the conservation of terrestrial habitats around breeding areas. We also show that artificial refuges can be useful for H. molleri and similar species, namely for habitat improvement or the implementation of citizen-science and monitoring programs.

This article analyzes a unique scene from the Giza mastaba of Akhmerutnisut (G 2184), which shows a life-size depiction of the tomb owner holding a rope, ready to throw a lasso. The active participation of the tomb owner in a lassoing scene is unique in the iconographic program of Fifth Dynasty elite tombs. The location of this scene within the mastaba is also unparalleled: it is the first scene on the right (west side) encountered by visitors as they enter the mastaba. To understand this innovative decorative choice, this paper starts by discussing the iconography of lassoing in the Old Kingdom and its meaning in the elite tombs of the same period. The second part of this paper analyzes Akhmerutnisut’s lassoing scene with an analytical framework drawn from visual and material culture studies and focusing on the concepts of monumentality, identity and agency. This study provides a number of possible explanations—none of which are mutually exclusive—to understand why Akhmerutnisut had himself depicted as a monumental lassoer by the entrance of his funerary complex, highlighting the importance of visitor experience and participation in the design of the funerary complexes of the Old Kingdom elite.

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