Seasonal Diet and Prey Preference of the African Lion in a Waterhole-Driven Semi-Arid Savanna
Large carnivores inhabiting ecosystems with heterogeneously distributed environmental resources with strong seasonal variations frequently employ opportunistic foraging strategies, often typified by seasonal switches in diet. In semi-arid ecosystems, herbivore distribution is generally more homogeneous in the wet season, when surface water is abundant, than in the dry season when only permanent sources remain. Here, we […]
Differences in Fecal Particle Size Between Free-ranging and Captive Individuals of Two Browser Species
Data from captive animals indicated that browsing (BR) ruminants have larger fecal particles—indicative of lesser chewing efficiency—than grazers (GR). To answer whether this reflects fundamental differences between the animal groups, or different reactions of basically similar organisms to diets fed in captivity, we compared mean fecal particle size (MPS) in a GR and a BR […]
Use of PCR-DGGE to characterize the distribution of bacterial populations in feces of reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
The gastrointestinal microbiota play a vital role in overall health of people and animals by helping break down and digest food, producing vitamins and hormones, training the immune system and preventing pathogenic bacterial overgrowth. Little is known, however, about the ecology of microbiota of large exotic herbivores and basic questions need to be answered. The […]