An attack by a warthog <i><scp>P</scp>hacochoerus africanus</i> on a newborn <scp>T</scp>homson's gazelle <i><scp>G</scp>azella thomsonii</i>

Roberts, Blair A.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2012.01344.x

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…During jackal attacks, mothers became alert and fled the birth site as soon as they detected the predator. In contrast, in warthog attacks, the mother continued caring for the fawn until the warthog approached to within a body length (Roberts, 2012a). The differences in maternal reactions to warthogs and jackals suggest that warthogs are an emerging predator at our field site.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Three were found by warthogs, an emerging predator at our field site (see Discussion). Of these, two were killed and eaten and one was attacked but survived (see Roberts, 2012a). A predator encounter during the postpartum period thus drastically decreased a fawn's chance of surviving (Fisher's exact test; p = 0.015).…”

Section: Effect Of Detection By Predators On Fawn Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any separation of the mother and fawn by more than one adult body length resulting from an outside influence or a fear reaction by the mother, but which did not end with fawn predation, was considered a disturbance. Disturbances were caused by male Thomson's gazelles attempting to engage in sexual activity with the mother or neighboring females (three observations); the neonate eliciting fear and flight reactions from the mother (one observation); female Thomson's gazelles enticing the fawn away from its mother or aggressively interacting with the fawn or mother (two observations); Grant's gazelles (Nanger granti; one observation), plains zebras (Equus burchelli; one observation), and female Thomson's gazelles investigating the fawn or birth site (one observation); humans passing near the mother on foot (one observation); and an attack of a fawn by a warthog (Phacochoerus africanus; one observation; Roberts, 2012a). We counted the disturbances for each observation and measured their durations.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Maternal tactics for mitigating neonate predation risk during the postpartum period in Thomson’s gazelle

Roberts

Rubenstein

2014

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The time immediately following birth is a period of high predation risk for ungulate neonates. Ungulate mothers exhibit perinatal behaviors that appear to mitigate offspring risk during this time. However, few studies of infant mortality include the postpartum period. Therefore, the function and effectiveness of these maternal behaviors are untested. We observed perinatal behavior in 11 Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsoni) mother–infant pairs in a free-ranging population under predation pressure. Five of the six fawns that were detected by predators during the perinatal period were killed. Fawn survival therefore depended on avoiding detection by predators. Considered individually, neither prepartum isolation from conspecifics nor birth site selection affected the risk of being detected by a predator. However, analyses revealed two distinct perinatal tactics: mothers either isolated and gave birth in tall grass or remained in their social groups and gave birth in short grass. Both of these tactics resulted in lower risk of predator detection compared to behavior that was inconsistent with either tactic. The tactics represent a maternal trade-off between minimizing the duration of the highly vulnerable postpartum period and minimizing conspicuousness to predators.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Effect Of Detection By Predators On Fawn Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Maternal tactics for mitigating neonate predation risk during the postpartum period in Thomson’s gazelle

Roberts

Rubenstein

2014

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“…Crocodilians are generally assumed to be obligate carnivores incapable of digesting plant proteins and polysaccharides, but yet they regularly consume fruits to supplement an otherwise carnivorous diet (Platt et al, 2013). Many ungulates, in contrast, are thought to be obligate herbivores but yet surprising examples of protein-rich food sources are regularly documented, including deer eating songbirds (Pietz & Granfors, 2000) and warthogs hunting antelope (Roberts, 2012). Large mammalian herbivores are able to feed on a broad array of food plants, but nevertheless feed preferentially on a subset of available plant species while avoiding others (Owen-Smith & Novellie, 1982).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The precautionary principle and dietary DNA metabarcoding: Commonly used abundance thresholds change ecological interpretation

et al. 2022

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“…Although a stable isotope study categorised warthogs as hyper-grazers (Harris and Cerling 2002) and the wet season diet of this species is mostly grass, the dry season diet of warthogs includes rhizomes, fruits, tree pods, tubers, bulbs, carrion and the predation of small mammals (Radke 1985;Wilson1975;Blair 2012;Cummings 2013). We therefore classified warthogs in Ruaha NP as omnivorous during the dry season.…”

Section: Dietary Categories Of Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Omnivores and browsers are more resilient than mixed feeders and grazers to human induced surface water scarcity in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Schmied

Hofer

Scherer

et al. 2023

Preprint

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In Africa, burgeoning human populations promote agricultural expansion and the associated demand for water. Water abstraction for agriculture from perennial rivers can be detrimental for wildlife, particularly when it reduces water availability in protected areas. Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, one of the largest parks in Africa, contains important wildlife populations, including rare and endangered species. The Great Ruaha River is the main dry season water source for wildlife in the Park. Water offtake from this river for large-scale irrigation and livestock production up-stream of the Park has caused large expanses of this formerly perennial river within the Park to dry up during the dry season. We investigated how available surface water during the dry season affected the distribution of ungulate species. During three dry seasons (2011-2013), we determined locations of surface water and collected spatial data for nine ungulate species by driving standardized ground transects, including a 104 km section of the Great Ruaha River. The dietary niche hypothesis predicts a functional relationship between mammalian herbivore diets and their dependence on surface water, and thus the distance maintained to surface water during the dry season. Distance maintained to water should increase from grazers (buffalo, waterbuck, plains zebra) to mixed feeders (elephant, impala), to browsers (giraffe, greater kudu) to omnivores (warthog, common duiker). Functional responses of herbivores, as analysed by a generalised linear mixed effects model, demonstrated that during the dry season, distance to water was (i) shortest in buffalo and waterbuck (grazers), (ii) similar for plains zebra (grazer), elephant and impala (mixed feeders), (iii) larger in giraffe and greater kudu (browsers) and (iv) largest in omnivores (warthog, common duiker). These findings demonstrate substantial species differences in surface water dependence that are broadly in line with predicted species resilience to anthropogenic reduction in surface water in Ruaha National Park.

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An attack by a warthog Phacochoerus africanus on a newborn Thomson's gazelle Gazella thomsonii

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Maternal tactics for mitigating neonate predation risk during the postpartum period in Thomson’s gazelle

Maternal tactics for mitigating neonate predation risk during the postpartum period in Thomson’s gazelle

The precautionary principle and dietary DNA metabarcoding: Commonly used abundance thresholds change ecological interpretation

Omnivores and browsers are more resilient than mixed feeders and grazers to human induced surface water scarcity in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

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