Hoofed Mammals: Nonruminants Flashcards
What habitats can you find bush pig?
Widespread in:
woodland habitats,
lowland forest,
montane forest,
savanna biome.
Agricultural pest more common in farming areas
When are bush pigs most active?
Nocturnal
More active during the day where protected
What 3 things do bush pigs eat?
Omnivorous
Roots, bulbs, and fallen fruits are favorites
What animal foods do bushpigs eat?
Carrion
Excrement
Kills small mammals and birds
How many bush pigs live together?
Up to 15
What 6 Antipredator behaviors are seen in bush pigs?
Alarm grunts
Flight
Concealment
Distress squeals
Threat grunts
Threatened and actual attack including mobbing
What habitat can you find warthogs in?
Grass and savanna habitat
What habitats do warthogs avoid?
Forest and dense undergrowth
Are warthogs water dependent?
Yes
Drinks daily
What do warthogs eat seasonally?
Wet season = grazes
Dry season = underground rhizomes and sedges
When are warthogs most active?
Diurnal (highly)
Females return to den before dark, males often stay up 1-2 hours later.
What conditions delay warthogs from leaving the den?
Cold or rainy days
What 6 Antipredator behaviors are seen in warthogs?
Trotting with tail vertical
Alarm grunt
Distress squeal
Growl-grunt
Woomph call
Mock and real attack
How do warthogs respond to being chased?
They run for the nearest hole, reversing at the last second so they can defend the burrow with their tusks
Which predator sometimes digs warthogs from their holes?
Lions
What habitat can you find hippo in?
Water deep enough to submerge with firm bottom. With grassland nearby
Gently sloping is preferred
What habitat feature is avoided by hippos?
Rapids
How many hippos live together?
2-50 with 10-15 average
When are hippos most active?
Nocturnal
How far do hippos walk to food?
3-5 km round trip /average
10 km round trip max
How long can hippos stay under water? Average and Max?
5 minutes max
104 seconds average
Which predator is capable of killing a full grown hippo (if unlikely)
Lions
What do black rhinos eat?
Nearly a pure browser
Has a marked preference for leguminous herbs and shrubs
Are black rhino water dependent?
Yes
They can go 4-5 days without drinking by eating succulents
How far will black rhinos walk to water almost every day?
8-25 kms
How will black rhinos get water in drought?
They will dig for water in sandy riverbeds
How far away can you hear a black rhino chewing?
400 meters
How many black rhino live together?
Cows with calves tend to stay alone but sometimes allow unrelated immature rhinos-male or female- to attach themselves after being kicked out by mom.
Males tolerate males in their territory who remain submissive
Where are black rhinos most likely to associate briefly but amicably and how many?
At water holes and salt licks
Up to 13
When are black rhinos most active?
Day and night
Most active early and late
Least active midday.
Active at night but also sleeps at night.
What 4 Antipredator behaviors are seen in black rhinos?
Puffing snorts
Distress squeals
Mock and real charges with stabbing
Flight with tail raised
When given advanced warning of a predator, how do black rhino usually respond?
Usually make off at a fast trot with tail raised and head high
What unusual thing often gives black rhinos advanced warning of predators?
Chirring of an attendant oxpecker
What habitat can you find white rhino in?
Savanna
Good habitat includes trees, ample water, and open grassland.
What do white rhinos eat?
Pure grazer. Grazes most efficiently on short grasses.
Are white rhinos water dependent?
Yes
Often drinks twice a day but can survive 2-4 days without drinking if water is distant.
How many white rhinos live together?
A female and her most recent offspring
Rhinos too young to reproduce but kicked out by their mothers often find another sub adult to associate with or sometimes another mom and calf.
A calf-less cow will tolerate 1-2 companions. (Usually subadult i believe_
How large can stable herds of white rhino be?
6
How many male rhinos live together?
Solitary
Many bulls tolerate 2-3 satellite bulls in their territory as long as they remain submissive
When is the calving peak in white rhinos?
Late in the rains
What 2 predators are (only) elephant calves vulnerable to? (Rare)
Lions
Hyenas
What Antipredator behaviors are seen in zebras?
Group defense (maternal)
Putting the vulnerable in the center
Stallion defends the herd from the rear
What predator are zebra most vulnerable to?
Hyena and only those hunting in sizable groups
What are the main differences between rock and bush hyrax? (Dassies)
4 differences
Size (Rock Hyraxes are bigger)
Feeding specialization
Reproductive organs
Territorial advertising calls
What do rock hyrax eat?
Grazers
How far do rock hyrax travel to pastures?
Up to 60 meters
What kind of habitat are you likely to find hyrax in? (5 conditions)
Wherever there are rocky cliffs, boulder screes, or rock outcrops with sufficient cavity space for a colony
Must have some tree or bush cover
Rocky cavities face away from any strong prevailing winds
Offer good vantage points
Must not be more than a few km to another cliff unless there is temporary refuge along the way.
How long do rock hyrax spend feeding
Less than 1 hour a day
When do rock hyrax eat?
Twice a day—in the morning and again in the afternoon.
What kind of trees / plants do bush hyrax particularly enjoy?
Acacias
When are hyraxes most active?
Diurnal
When do hyraxes do most of their eating? Specific time.
Sometime between 330 and 630 pm
In the evening specifically they eat more
What conditions will cause hyrax to delay coming out of their shelter or to avoid coming out at all?
Rain will delay.
On cold rainy days they might not come out at all.
What 4 Antipredator behaviors are seen in hyrax?
Alarm calls
Flight to refuge
Threat and possible mobbing of smaller predators
Playing dead
What do rock hyraxes alarm calls sound like?
Shark, low pitched squeak or a loud squeak
What do bush hyraxes alarm calls sound like?
Piping whistles
When disturbed, where do first year elephant calves move?
Between their mothers legs
When disturbed, where do older elephant calves/offspring move?
To their mothers sides
How large is a typical elephant herd?
2-14 elephants
When are elephants most active?
Day and night with feeding peaks in the morning, afternoon and around midnight
What sexes secrete a watery substance from their temporal gland in elephants?
Both sexes
What function is the temporal gland in elephants?
Musth
But also flows whenever they get excited or anxious
What does the alert posture look like in elephants?
Flapping their ears and raising their heads high at the same time
What does the standing tall posture look like in elephants?
Head raised high, elephant peering over its tusks, ears cocked and trunk hanging down
In elephants, up and down and side to side head movements are a feature in what kind of displays?
Threat
What is an example of a mild threat to an antagonist in elephants?
Turning directly towards it / the antagonist.
When are mating and births most common in elephants?
During the rains
Name 5 signs that let you discern when a male elephant is in musth
Copious and viscous secretions from their temporal gland
Swollen and partially erect penis
Penis dripping a green and strong smelling secretion
Frequent urination with steady trickle down their back legs
Likely to be alone or with a breeding herd or fighting / standoffs with other males
What 3 Antipredator behaviors are seen in elephants
Group defense
Threat displays
Demonstration and real charges
What do elephants do when they’re undecided on whether to attack, flee, or stand their ground?
They perform displacement behavior between threat displays
In elephants, what is displacement / feeding behaviors
Breaking off branches or pulling up tufts of grass and slapping them against their foot with extra emphasis
Often, the only warning an elephant gives before attacking is
A momentary rocking motion of its body
