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Feeding-height stratification among African browsing ruminants

This study investigated the hypothesis that the use of different feeding levels in the vegetation promotes resource partitioning among browsing ungulate species in African savannas. Focal animal feeding observations, recorded on a real-time basis using computerized data-capture system, were conducted on giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus), kudu (Tragelaphus steosiceros Pallas), impala (Aepyceros melampus Lichtenstein) and steenbok (Raphicerus campestris Thunberg) in the central region of the Kruger National Park, South Africa, Although there was clear stratification in mean feeding heights among the

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Buffalo, Bush Meat, and the Zoonotic Threat of Brucellosis in Botswana

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance infecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Little is known about the epidemiology and persistence of brucellosis in wildlife in Southern Africa, particularly in Botswana. Methods: Archived wildlife samples from Botswana (1995–2000) were screened with the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) and included the African buffalo (247), bushbuck (1), eland (5), elephant (25), gemsbok (1), giraffe (9), hartebeest (12), impala (171), kudu (27), red lechwe (10), reedbuck (1),

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Identifying conservation constraints for the last West African giraffe: population dynamics determining factors and spatial distribution pattern

One of the main challenges for endangered species protection in Africa is to find a sustainable way of integrating objectives of nature conservation with the economic development needs of the local human population. Last West African giraffe population, Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, lives in Niger. These giraffe are unique for several reasons: (i) they represent the only population of peralta sub-species, and (ii) they live in an area densely populated by humans, (iii) which is unprotected and (iv) without predators. In

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An overview of giraffe giraffa camelopardalis taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, with a Namibian comparative and focus on the Kunene Region.

Limited knowledge of the giraffe’s taxonomy, distribution and conservation status currently exists at the species and subspecies level. This lack of understanding has compounded the species long-term conservation Africa-wide, including in Namibia where waves have been made regarding the species potential conservation down listing based on little, if any, scientific evidence. This study provides the first concise overview of the Namibian giraffe in respect to its taxonomy, conservation status, population numbers and historical distribution, and in context of the entire

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Evidence of a Time Constant Associated With Movement Patterns in Six Mammalian Species

Human psychophysical studies have provided evidence of a short duration time constant associated with perceptual tasks. This time constant is approximately 3 s in duration, and evidence suggests that it represents a central neural mechanism that functions to integrate “successive events into a Gestalt” in order to create a “subjective present.” Recent studies have found a 3 s time constant in human and chimpanzee movement patterns, suggesting that a similar mechanism subserves both human perceptual and primate motor skills. These

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Species characterization in the genus pestivirus according to palindromic nucleotide substitutions in the 5′ untranslated region

The palindromic nucleotide substitutions (PNS) at the three variable loci (V1, V2, and V3) in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the Pestivirus genome have been considered for taxonomical segregation of the species, through the evaluation of 533 strains. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative secondary structure characteristics, species have been identified within the genus, determining genetic distances between species isolates, clarifying borderline and multirelated sequences, and characterizing and clustering the Pestivirus strains showing unexpected genomic sequences. Nine genomic

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Sexual selection is not the origin of long necks in giraffes

The evolutionary origin of the long neck of giraffes is enigmatic. One theory (the ‘sexual selection’ theory) is that their shape evolved because males use their necks and heads to achieve sexual dominance. Support for this theory would be that males invest more in neck and head growth than do females. We have investigated this hypothesis in 17 male and 21 female giraffes with body masses ranging from juvenile to mature animals, by measuring head mass, neck mass, neck and

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From Fetus to Adult—An Allometric Analysis of the Giraffe Vertebral Column

As mammalian cervical vertebral count is almost always limited to seven, the vertebral column of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) provides an interesting study on scaling and adaptation to shape in light of these constraints. We have defined and described the growth rates of the lengths, widths, and heights of the vertebrae from fetal through neonatal life to maturity. We found that the disproportionate elongation of the cervical vertebrae is not a fetal process but occurs after birth, and that each

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Cryptic Consumers and the Ecology of an African Savanna

East African savannas have fascinated generations of explorers, scientists, and the public. Nowhere else is there such a concentration and diversity of large, charismatic animals, and nowhere else is ecology portrayed so dramatically. Spectacular migrations of a million wildebeest tracking the rains dominate the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem of Tanzania and Kenya. Lions and hyenas pursue gazelle, zebra, and buffalo in a conspicuous contest between predator and prey. And giraffe and elephants shape the landscape by browsing and trampling savanna trees. The

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A survey assessment of variables related to stereotypy in captive giraffe and okapi

Stereotypic behavior has been investigated in a wide variety of animals, but little published information is available on this problem in captive exotic ungulates. A survey was used to gather information on the prevalence of stereotypic behavior in giraffe and okapi and to identify variables associated with these behaviors. Of the 71 institutions that received the survey, 69% responded. Data were reported for 257 individuals, including 214 giraffe (representing five subspecies) and 29 okapi. Of the animals included in the

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