Typically, sexually selected traits show positive allometry and high coefficients of variation (CV). To date, many studies on the allometry of genitalia have focused on insects. In addition, studies have largely ignored the potential for sexual selection on female genitalia, despite male and female structures presumably co-evolving. Insects tend to show negative allometry in both male and female genitalia, while in contrast, the few studies carried out in mammals (males only) show positive allometry. Reasons for these differences between the taxa still remain unclear. However, in mammals, three main mechanisms have been proposed for genital evolution, namely, sperm competition, female cryptic choice and sexual conflict. In the first such study that we are aware of, we examined intra-specific genital allometry in both males and females of a mammal, the subterranean solitary Cape dune mole-rat, Bathyergus suillus. We found positive allometry occurring in male genitalia, which is consistent with previous vertebrate studies. Similarly, we found that female genitalia also exhibited positive allometry further supporting the notion of co-evolution of male and female genitalia. Although it is difficult to distinguish between the forces or mechanisms determining this directional selection, we suggest that several reproductive advantages are incurred as a result of positive allometric relationship of the genitalia in B. suillus and such advantages are also likely in other subterranean mammals. Our study further highlights the differences in genital allometry across taxa.

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Competition over food and space is a primary driver of human-wildlife conflict. In the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) have adapted to a human-modified environment, sleeping on the urban edge and raiding anthropogenic food sources on a daily basis. Human monitors, who herd baboons away from residential areas, are currently the preferred method of conflict mitigation. However, this method is costly and suffers from short-term interruptions, wherein the unexpected absence of monitors may lead to unprepared residents using lethal force to deter raiding baboons. Elsewhere in the chacma baboon distribution (in nonconflict areas), artificial food patches have been shown to alter troop movements drastically by eliciting consistent leadership behavior from alpha males. We investigated whether an artificial patch could be used to draw baboons away from the urban environment in the absence of monitors. First, we introduced an artificial food patch into natural land within a troop's range and monitored movement and activity patterns. Although the troop utilized the patch, there was not a significant decline in use of the urban space as they continued to favor food in urban waste sites. Maintaining the patch, we then restricted access to these waste sites using wire-mesh fencing and observed a significant reduction in the time the troop spent within the urban space. In both experimental phases we observed consistent leadership, with dominant individuals arriving first at the patch and monopolizing food items thereon. Thus, we recommend the combined strategy of reducing raiding incentives in conjunction with provisioning as a short-term, costeffective strategy to alter a baboon troop's movement patterns and raiding frequency.

The naked mole‐rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has fascinated zoologists for at least half a century. It has also generated considerable biomedical interest not only because of its extraordinary longevity, but also because of unusual protective features (e.g. its tolerance of variable oxygen availability), which may be pertinent to several human disease states, including ischemia/reperfusion injury and neurodegeneration. A recent article entitled ‘Surprisingly long survival of premature conclusions about naked mole‐rat biology’ described 28 ‘myths’ which, those authors claimed, are a ‘perpetuation of beautiful, but falsified, hypotheses’ and impede our understanding of this enigmatic mammal. Here, we re‐examine each of these ‘myths’ based on evidence published in the scientific literature. Following Braude et al., we argue that these ‘myths’ fall into four main categories: (i) ‘myths’ that would be better described as oversimplifications, some of which persist solely in the popular press; (ii) ‘myths’ that are based on incomplete understanding, where more evidence is clearly needed; (iii) ‘myths’ where the accumulation of evidence over the years has led to a revision in interpretation, but where there is no significant disagreement among scientists currently working in the field; (iv) ‘myths’ where there is a genuine difference in opinion among active researchers, based on alternative interpretations of the available evidence. The term ‘myth’ is particularly inappropriate when applied to competing, evidence‐based hypotheses, which form part of the normal evolution of scientific knowledge. Here, we provide a comprehensive critical review of naked mole‐rat biology and attempt to clarify some of these misconceptions.

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