Differences in the selection of habitat and specific dietary items support resource partitioning and coexistence of sympatric African grazing herbivores, such as zebra and wildebeest. In Maputo Special Reserve (MSR), southern Mozambique, these two species were extirpated during the civil war (1977)(1978)(1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992); since 2010, they have been reintroduced into the Reserve. Identifying the resource selection by reintroduced species and how these species coexist, while utilising the same resources, is both of ecological interest and important for the management of wildlife communities and parks. This is a key application of our research. Therefore, the present study investigated resource partitioning between Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli, Smuts 1832) and blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus, Burchell 1823) in the MSR. We conducted the study from July 2016 to June 2017. The data were collected by direct observation, driving the vehicle along the reserve's roads that covered the vegetation communities where zebras and wildebeest are known to commonly occur. The composition of the diet and specific features of the grass grazed by the two species, including greenness, height, and the number of stems, were assessed. The widely available grass, Aristida barbicollis, contributed most to the diet of both herbivores. The dietary overlap between the two herbivores was higher during the dry season (95%) than wet season (86%). Resources partitioning appears to be determined, principally, by the height and greenness of the grass, with the zebra grazing taller grass, which may facilitate the access of the wildebeest to the greener, lower proportion of the forage. That results follow the expectation that, among native herbivores, overlap in resource use is not expected based on evolutionary segregation. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material

Aim In Africa, reintroduction of wild animal species to conservation areas is a common practice, for the recovery or restoration of populations. Effective monitoring of reintroduced species requires understanding of basic ecological requirements such as habitat selection of these species in the new environment. Therefore, the present study investigated the habitat selection of zebra and wildebeest following their reintroduction into Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique, and we use binary logistic analyses to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use. Location Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique. Methods We conducted the study from July 2016 to June 2017. The data were collected by direct observation, driving the vehicle along the reserve's roads that covered the vegetation communities where zebras and wildebeest are known to commonly occur. Habitat selection was calculated using selection indices (Manly's alpha), and binary logistic analyses were used to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use. Results The arboreal savanna was the preferred habitat by both herbivore species. Habitat use of zebra appeared to be strongly determined by characteristics such as high grass cover, high grass greenness, and distance to water, while the habitat use by wildebeest, was strongly affected by grass height. Main conclusions Both zebra and wildebeest prefer arboreal savanna, forage selection likely drove preference of this habitat. Greater grass cover and greater percentage greenness of the grass both significantly increased the odds of zebra use of habitat, whereas the odds of use decreased with increases in distance to water, meaning an opportunity to ingest large amounts of grass biomass with higher quality, and this opportunity decreases with increasing in distance to water. Grass height was in the highest‐ranking model predicting habitat use by wildebeest, and during the dry season the use of habitat increased with increasing grass height, suggesting that selecting areas with tall grasses by wildebeest equated to choosing areas with higher grass quantity, as the food intake rate increases with grass height.