Honyurui Kagaku (Mammalian Science)
Online ISSN : 1881-526X
Print ISSN : 0385-437X
ISSN-L : 0385-437X
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Volume 52, Issue 2
Displaying 1-18 of 18 articles from this issue
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Original Articles
  • Food habits of the small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus in Kagoshima City, Japan
    Kimitake Funakoshi, Aika Arai, Ayumi Nagasato, Kei Yamasita, Taichi Ak ...
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 157-165
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.157
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    The diet of the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus, which was discovered in 2009 to have colonized Kagoshima City, Japan, was studied by analyzing the contents of the digestive tracts and feces of 115 individuals to evaluate impacts on native animals. The diet of the mongoose was mainly insects, myriapods, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and fruits. Among consumed animal matter, insects occupied the highest frequency of occurrence (95%) throughout the year, and reptiles (21%) followed them. The seasonal relative occurrence frequencies in mammals and birds from winter until spring were higher than those in other seasons. This result shows that mammals and birds are also important food resources for mongoose in addition to insects and reptiles. Young H. auropunctatus, however, did not eat mammals and birds. Changes in fauna should be examined in the study areas to assess the recovery of native species as a result of mongoose extermination.
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  • Applicability of the point-frame method as a food habit analysis method for omnivorous mammals: a case study on medium-sized carnivores
    Seiki Takatsuki, Takafumi Tatewaki
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 167-177
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.167
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    Most studies on the food habits of mid-sized carnivora mammals in Japan, which are often omnivorous, have adopted the frequency method. The frequency method, however, cannot assess dietary compositions but only occurrences. In contrast, the point-frame method can assess not only food compositions but also occurrences. Therefore, in order to test the applicability of this method, we tried an analysis of the summer and winter stomach contents of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and masked palm civets (Paguma larvata). As many as 98 categories and 102 categories were found at 200 and 300 counts, respectively, for all the samples. However, only 6–10 categories were recovered at 200 counts for each sample. As counts increased, the food categories increased but very few categories were recovered after 200 counts. The number of samples which recovered 90–110% of the maximum category number at 300 counts was 31 (58.5%) out of 53 samples at 150 counts, and 52 (98.1%) at 200 counts. The necessary counts to reach the range of 90–110% of the occupancy at 300 counts ranged from 150 to 170, except for samples of masked palm civets during the summer, when 221 counts were needed. Sixteen and 28 (44.4%) samples among 36 samples (77.8%) entered this range at 150 and 200 counts, respectively. From these results, we judged that 200 counts are necessary and sufficient to recover the food categories as well as food compositions. The point-frame method took 25.9 minutes (36.7%) in average to analyze one sample whereas the weight method took 70.6 minutes. The interrelations between percentage frequency occurrence and percentage occupancy suggests a synthetic understanding of food availability and food intake by the animals. The correspondence between the point-frame method and frequency evaluation was weak, because samples included foods of “small amount but high frequency,” and those of “large amount but low frequency”. We showed by comparison of the point-frame method and weight evaluation that three-dimensional food categories like meat and large seeds were underestimated, while those like leaves and flowers were overestimated by the point-frame method. Important details of the point-frame method for the food habit analysis of omnivorous mammals were summarized.
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Short Communications
  • First record of the Orii’s flying-fox, Pteropus dasymallus inopinatus on Okinoerabu-jima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, with special reference to their inhabitation
    Kimitake Funakoshi, Yushi Osawa, Keiko Osawa
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 179-184
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.179
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    There has so far been no official record of the Ryukyu flying-fox, Pteropus dasymallus on Okinoerabu-jima Island. We confirmed their presence via information provided by local people and a flying–fox photograph taken on the island in March 2003. Morphological characteristics of the photographed bat and another flying-fox captured in June 2011 indicate that the bats on the island belong to the subspecies, P. d. inopinatus. We also confirmed its occurrence in October and December 2011, and in January and February 2012. On the island, at least four bats were counted simultaneously at a feeding site during the survey in February 2012. The bats were feeding on the fruits of Ficus superba, Crataeva religiosa, Ficus septica and Terminalia catappa. Our observations strongly suggest that bats stay and breed on this island throughout the year, without seasonal migration to other islands.
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  • The estimation of birth periods in wild boar by detailed aging
    Yuuji Kodera, Tsutomu Takeda, Seiji Tomaru, Shoei Sugita
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 185-191
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.185
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    The seasonal birth period, the length of which determines the frequency of birth, is the major mechanism controlling the dynamics of wild boar populations. To develop a presumption method for its length, we collected 153 heads of wild boar that were killed in the Yamizo mountain area between October 2010 and September 2011, and then estimated the birth day through detailed aging by tooth eruption and wearing. As a result, between 30th March 2009 and 29th April 2011, we found a lower frequency birth period three times and the validitated our detailed aging method for its estimation. However, to conduct more accurate estimation, we needed two years of sample collection rather than one, and needed to exclude individuals over 88 weeks old.
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  • A preliminary study of the daily activity patterns of Sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the Kitakami mountains, Iwate prefecture, via infrared-triggered camera
    Satobu Takahashi, Daishi Higaside, Masahiro Fujita, Masaaki Yoneda
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 193-197
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.193
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    We studied the daily activity of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the northern Kitakami highlands, Japan. We placed 80 infrared-triggered cameras in forests across an area of 336 km2. The study period was 55 days from June 25th to August 19th, 2011, and the total investigation effort was 3,206 trap-days. We collected 112 movies of photographed deer, and the number of events calculated in consideration of the influence of consecutive photography was 50. We found that movies were most often taken between 19:00 and 19:59, generally after sunset, and were more often taken in nighttime than in daytime. We concluded that the deer were active at night in this area. Thus, a feasibility study to assess active times is effective in place of deer capture.
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  • Dominance hierarchy among red foxes in Hokkaido (Vulpes vulpes schrencki) in captivity
    Satomi Habu, Masaki Shimada
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 199-206
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.199
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    Linear dominance hierarchies among the littermates of wild red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are known to exist, although they tend to live alone. The purpose of the present study is to discuss the existence of the dominance hierarchy among a group of red foxes in Hokkaido (Vulpes vulpes schrencki), reared in a high-density cage, to clarify their social structure under an unnatural environment.
    We found no linear dominance hierarchy among the study group, but did find an affiliative network. No negative correlation between association indices and the frequencies of aggressive behavior of each dyad suggested that the existence of the affiliative network did not inhibit aggressive behavior among individuals.
    The present study suggests that when red foxes in Hokkaido were reared together in a high-density cage, of which members were replaced frequently, the stability of the group was low since no dominance hierarchy and no alternative mechanism to inhibit aggressive behaviors would be formed among the members.
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  • Infant development of Sichuan golden monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo
    Takushi Yokoyama, Satoshi Kusuda, Keiko Sone, Junji Moribe, Hideaki Ta ...
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 207-214
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.207
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    In Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo, a female Sichuan Golden Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) was born on April 29, 2009. Behavioral development of the infant was recorded for the first 9 months of the infant’s life. One-hundred eight hours of behavioral data were collected using the one-zero and scan sampling. On day 10, the infant broke contact with her mother for the first time, and was capable of climbing up and down the trees on day 53. She started to show interest in solid food, such as mulberry leaf or cabbage, and engaged in play with her sister on day 60. After 60 days of age, the infant spent more time with her sister, suggesting the presence of siblings might affect infant behavioral development. After 6 months of age, the scores of some behaviors, “on belly,” “groomed,” “in contact,” “approach,” “proximity” and “leave,” reached a plateau, seeming to signal that the infant’s development had come to an end. Although the process of behavioral development of the infant in Higashiyama zoo was similar to results at Yuhuangmiao Zhouzhi National Nature Reserve Shaanxi, China, some of the behaviors, such as “show interest in solid food” and “play,” were observed at an earlier age than in those reports.
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Reports
  • Distributional change of the Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis) in the southern part of Chiba Prefecture, Central Japan
    Hitoho Yatake
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 215-222
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.215
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    This study reports on the distributional changes of the Japanese squirrel, Sciurus lis, in the southern part of Chiba Prefecture, investigated during the years 2009–2011. The investigated areas correspond to those surveyed in 2001–2003 (previous survey) with a minimum survey unit of 1×1 km grid-square. The presence of the squirrel was confirmed mainly based on bite marks on pine cones. The occurrence of the animal has been recorded in 36 of 57 sites (63 percent) which were investigated in the previous survey, but newly recorded from 15 sites. In the previous study, declines of squirrels in the northern part was emphasized, but also, in this report we show a similar status in the south. In the previous study, pine forest area decreased in the north and this could be a factor for the decline of species. On the other hand, although the southern part has much forested area compared with the north and the continuity is also maintained, the decline of pine forest has been advancing longer than in the north. It is necessary to clarify the ecology of the squirrel in the southern part, in which there are few pine forests and evergreen broad-leaved tree forest dominates.
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  • Population density of Cervus nippon yakushimae in the grassland area of Pseudosasa owatarii
    Ryosuke Koda, Takashi Kawamura
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 223-227
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.223
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    Deer population densities and their distribution pattern are essential for effective management and conservation of deer. However, there is no information of deer population density in the grassland area of Pseudosasa owatarii on Yakushima Island. Deer fecal pellet group counts were conducted in November 2009, and deer population density in the P. owatarii grassland was estimated to be 14.09 deer/km2. We do not believe that this density is underestimated, although it is lower than in any other forest area around the P. owatarii grassland. Further studies of the population density and ecology of deer in the P. owatarii grassland are necessary.
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Report on International Meeting
Award Recipient
Award Recipients
Series History on Amateur Mammalogists
  • The relationship among the collector, merchant and collection owner, puzzling out the specimen tags
    Shin-ichiro Kawada, Masatoshi Yasuda
    2012 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 257-264
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: February 06, 2013
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11238/mammalianscience.52.257
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    The Hainan mole, Mogera hainana Thomas, 1910, was recorded to be collected by “a native employed by Mr. Alan Owston” in the original description of the species. We noticed the specimen tag of the holotype was printed and handwritten in Japanese characters. The same tag was attached to another specimen of this species deposited at the Forestory and Forest Products Research Institute (Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan). Those specimens were both collected in November, 1906; therefore, the Hainan mole was collected by a Japanese person who visited Hainan Island in this period. We searched for the same form of specimen tags, and found many among bird specimens from Hainan Island at the Yamashina Ornithological Institute (Abiko, Chiba, Japan). In this period, Zensaku Katsumata collected the birds in Hainan Isl. and sent them to the Lord of Lionel Walter Rothschild in England. We estimated the type series of the Hainan mole was also collected by Z. Katsumata, who was a collector employed by a merchant A. Owston, and he sent it to L. W. Rothschild in UK. L. W. Rothschild communicated with the Natural History Museum and his name was dedicated to 18 mammalian species by researchers of this museum. It is possible to consider that Rothschild’s mammalian collection was presented to the Natural History Museum and examined by mammal researchers. Although Zensaku Katsumata was an obscure person in mammalogy, we discuss his contribution to the dawn of natural history in Japan.
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Forums
Report on 2012 Annual Meeting of Mammal Society of Japan (Azabu University)
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