Territorial defense and advertisement by footdrumming in bannertail kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) at high and low population densities

Randall, Jan A.

doi:10.1007/bf00293099

Cited by 75 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…1). Because the rats did not respond well to the airborne sounds from the thumper, and we knew from prior studies that they responded to airborne footdrumming from a speaker (Randall 1984(Randall , 1994a; Randall and Matocq, in press), we broadcast the airborne footdrumming from a speaker on the vibration-isolating platform for most of the experiment. The peak amplitude of the airborne sound generated from the platform was approximately 20 dB higher than that generated by the buried thumper, and the platform served to attenuate the ground-borne vibrations from the thumper by more than 60 dB.…”

Section: Behavioral Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In footdrumming exchanges, each rat tends to begin its own drumming pattern when the other rat is not drumming. The consistency of response to footdrumming played through a loudspeaker and ®eld observations show that interactions between two rats involve airborne sound (Randall 1984(Randall , 1994a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…These nocturnal, desert rodents drum a complex pattern of individual footdrumming signatures that they can discriminate as originating from a neighbor or a stranger (Randall 1984(Randall , 1989(Randall , 1993(Randall , 1994a. When presented with the sound of footdrums, either generated directly by another rat or recorded previously by an experimenter and played through a loudspeaker, a rat typically responds with footdrums of its own (Randall 1984(Randall , 1994a(Randall , 1995.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…spectabilis footdrums almost exclusively on territories consisting of large dirt mounds, approximately 2± 3 m in diameter, in which the rats store large caches of seeds, their main food source (Randall 1984). Each mound is defended by a single animal of either sex, except when young rats are in natal mounds with mothers (Randall 1984). The kangaroo rats drum on the surface of the mound or on the¯oor of the burrow chamber inside the mound (Randall 1984(Randall , 1993.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each mound is defended by a single animal of either sex, except when young rats are in natal mounds with mothers (Randall 1984). The kangaroo rats drum on the surface of the mound or on the¯oor of the burrow chamber inside the mound (Randall 1984(Randall , 1993. When inside the mound for any length of time, the rats typically seal the burrow entrance with several centimeters of dirt.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seismic communication between the burrows of kangaroo rats, Dipodomys spectabilis

Randall

Lewis

1997

Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behav

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Banner-tailed kangaroo rats, Dipodomys spectabilis, footdrum to produce substrate-borne and airborne acoustic energy. Previous studies show that they communicate territorial ownership via airborne footdrumming signals. The research reported here used simulated footdrum patterns generated by an arti®cial thumper' to address the question of whether kangaroo rats communicate through seismic components of these acoustic signals. With microphones suspended in sealed burrows, we found that airborne sounds were attenuated by approximately 40 dB as they passed through the burrow wall into the burrow chamber. The substrateborne vibrations from the thumper yielded sound approximately 40 dB greater in peak amplitude than the attenuated airborne sound. Thus, 99.9% of the peak power of the thumper was transmitted directly through the substrate into the burrow. The rats in sealed burrows timed their responses to playbacks of footdrums from the thumper and a loudspeaker so they did not initiate a drumming sequence during either the seismic or airborne signals. When these signals were masked by loud noise, the rats continued to drum to the seismic signal but drummed randomly during the airborne playback. These results suggest that the sealed burrow provides a quiet place in which D. spectabilis can listen for substrate-borne communications from conspeci®cs.

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Section: Behavioral Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Seismic communication between the burrows of kangaroo rats, Dipodomys spectabilis

Randall

Lewis

1997

Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behav

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Morphological variations of auditory bullae in otomyine rodents (Rodentia: Otomyini) in southern African biomes

Edwards,

Bessinger

2024

Journal of Morphology

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Mammalian middle ear cavities differ from those of other taxa as they comprise three ossicles and in rodents, can be encapsulated by an auditory bulla. In small mammals, the middle ear cavity (bulla) was found to be enlarged in the desert‐dwelling species; however, differences in bullar size could have been due to ancestry. In this study, we sampled seven species from three genera (Myotomys, Otomys, and Parotomys) of the African murid tribe Otomyini (laminated‐toothed rats), and compared the bullar volumes and shapes between the otomyine species and within the species Myotomys unisulcatus. Photographs of museum skull specimens were taken from ventral and lateral views, and the volumes of the bullae were estimated digitally from the photographs. No sexual dimorphism in bullar volumes was found in any of the species. Corrected bullar volumes were significantly different between species and larger bullae were seen in individuals inhabiting regions with lower annual rainfall. Bullar shape (estimated using geometric morphometrics) was significantly different between the genera and the species. Parotomys have tympanic meatuses that face more anteriorly compared to both, Otomys and Myotomys. When comparing bullae within M. unisulcatus, those inhabiting regions with lower annual rainfall had significantly larger bullar volumes, but no significant difference was found in bullar shape between the regions. This study shows that otomyine rodents in more xeric habitats have different auditory structures to those inhabiting wetter habitats.

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Factors affecting pair compatibility in captive kangaroo rats, Dipodomys heermanni

1995

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Captive propagation is a critical component of the Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat Recovery Plan, but past attempts to breed this and other kangaroo rat species have had mixed success. In three experiments using a closely related surrogate species, the Lompoc kangaroo rat, we evaluated the effects of familiarity and long-term housing experience on the behavior of captive males and females during dyadic encounters in an attempt to devise husbandry methods most conducive to reproduction. Females exhibited less aggression with and were more likely to allow physical contact with familiar males, provided the males had had previous social experience, such as that provided by living in close sensory contact with female conspecifics. Socialized males (those housed adjacent to females, separated from them by a wire mesh screen) were cautious, rather than persistent, when interacting with unfamiliar or anestrous females. Males housed in isolation from conspecifics were persistent whether or not they were familiar to the female. Pairs with very long periods of familiarity exhibited more nonaggressive contact than newly acquainted pairs. Results suggest that housing structures allowing longterm sensory contact between potential mates may improve breeding success in kangaroo rats and other solitary, aggressive species.

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Territorial defense and advertisement by footdrumming in bannertail kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) at high and low population densities

Cited by 75 publications

References 28 publications

Seismic communication between the burrows of kangaroo rats, Dipodomys spectabilis

Seismic communication between the burrows of kangaroo rats, Dipodomys spectabilis

Morphological variations of auditory bullae in otomyine rodents (Rodentia: Otomyini) in southern African biomes

Factors affecting pair compatibility in captive kangaroo rats, Dipodomys heermanni

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