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Behavioral ecology in managed reserves: gender-based asymmetries in interspecific dominance in African elephants and rhinos

As large-bodied mammals become restricted to progressively smaller fragments of former habitat, competitive interactions and interspecies aggression are likely to intensify. Data on the outcomes of 159 encounters between endangered African pachyderms revealed that: (1) female elephants (Loxodonta africana) dominated both sexes of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis); and (2) rhino males but not females displaced elephant bulls. The results of an additional 127 interactions involving pacyderms and 12 additional mammals ranging in size from cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to giraffe (Giraffa

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Behavioral sleep in the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in a zoological garden

Behavioral sleep was assessed for 152 nights in 5 adult, 2 immature, and 1 juvenile giraffes at a zoological garden, using continuous time-lapse video recording. Sleep occurred while the giraffes were standing (SS) and in recumbency (RS). Paradoxical sleep (PS) was recognized by the peculiar positioning of the head on the croup and by phasic events. The 24-h sleep profile had a main bimodal nocturnal sleep period between 20.00 and 07.00 hours, with a trough between 02.00 and 04.00 hours,

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The shaping of San livelihood strategies: Government policy and popular values

The importance of understanding the livelihood strategies of poor people has received a fresh impetus over the last few years with the emphasis by many Western donors on poverty reduction. This article examines the livelihood strategies of San people in three villages on the northern peripheries of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Their economic marginalization is compounded but their ethical background; a stigma that also marginalizes them politically and socially. The analysis presented here not only challenges stereotypes commonly associated

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On the origin, evolution and phylogeny of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis

The origin, phylogeny, and evolution of modern giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) is obscure. We review here the literature and conclude that the proximate ancestors of modern giraffes probably evolved in southern central Europe about 8 million years ago (Mya). These ancestors appear to have arisen from the gelocid ancestral assemblage of 20–25 Mya via the family Palaeomerycidae. From the palaeomerycids arose the Antilocaprinae (Pronghorns) via the subfamily Dromomerycinae, and two subfamilies of giraffids, the Climacoceratidae and Canthumerycidae. The terminal genus of

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The past and present distribution of some African ungulates

Synopsis: A comparison has been made between the recent densities and distributions of African mammals of the genera: Equus, Ceratotherium, Diceros, Hippopotamus, Choeropsis, Hyemoschus, Giraffa, Okapia, Damaliscus, Alcelaphus, Connochaetes, Taurotragus, Tragelaphus, Boocercus, Strepsiceros, Limnotragus, Syncerus, with those at the turn of the present century. Information has been obtained from literature, by personal contact, and in a tour of East Central and South Africa. This monograph is divided into fifteen parts, each containing the known distribution and density of a family

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Foraging ecologies of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) and camels (Camelus dromedarius) in northern Kenya: effects of habitat structure and possibilities for competition?

The foraging ecologies of reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) and domestic camels (Camelus dromedarius) were examined in the Laikipia District of Kenya, where these species have recently become sympatric. Camels increased popularity in the region has lead to concerns about their environmental impacts and possible competition with wild giraffe for resources. We gathered foraging data on both species using 2-min group scans that recorded feeding heights and plant food preferences. Transects sampled the vegetation in areas where foraging observations were

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The digestive morphophysiology of wild, free-living, giraffes

We have measured rumen-complex (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum) and intestine (small and large combined) mass in 32 wild giraffes of both sexes with body masses ranging from 289 to 1441 kg, and parotid gland mass, tongue length and mass, masseter and mandible mass in 9 other giraffes ranging in body mass from 181 to 1396 kg. We have estimated metabolic and energy production rates, feed intake and home range size. Interspecific analysis of mature ruminants show that components of the

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Home ranges, seasonal ranges and daily movements of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in northern Botswana

Introduction: Movement studies have been conducted on various giraffe subspecies across different ecological and management environments in Africa. However, prior to recent advancements in technology, studies were limited to identification methods relying on chance encounters of individuals (e.g. Foster, 1966; Berry, 1978; le Pendu & Ciofolo, 1999) and VHF radio-tracking (e.g. Langman, 1973; Dagg & Foster, 1982), which can underestimate movements (Fennessy, 2009). Now, GPS satellite units enable remote monitoring of movements with the increased ability to collect more accurate

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Giraffe and Okapi: Africa’s forgotten megafauna

The Giraffidae family includes only two living species of ungulates: the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and the okapi (Okapia johnstoni), both restricted to the African continent. Taxonomically, the Giraffa and Okapia genera separated from each other approximately 16 million years ago (Hassanin et al., 2012), and they now exhibit as many differences as similarities. Today Okapia is represented by one species (Okapia johnstoni; Hart, 2013), though with surprisingly high genetic variation (Stanton et al., 2014), whereas nine subspecies of giraffe are

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Leadership of herd progressions in the Thornicroft’s giraffe of Zambia

In cohesive social groups, travel progressions are often led by dominant or older individuals, but the leadership traits of individuals residing in flexible social systems are poorly known. Giraffe reside in herds characterized by fission– fusion dynamics frequently mediated by kinship. We analyzed 41 years (1971–2012) of longitudinal data collected from a community of Thornicroft’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) living around South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, to assess the characteristics of herd leaders. Movement of giraffe in a single file

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