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Article
Density and Cover Preferences of Black-And-Rufous Elephant-Shrews (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania
Belgian Journal of Zoology
  • Stephanie Coster, Trinity University
  • David O Ribble, Trinity University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2005
Disciplines
Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the density and habitat preference of the Black-andrufous elephant-shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Chome Forest (143km2) is located in the South Pare Mountains and provides critical habitat for endangered R. petersi. Twelve 300m transects were cut through the centre of the forest in an east-west direction and the number of elephant-shrew nests within 2.5 meters on each side of the transects was recorded. The mean number of nests per 100m transect (0.39 ± 0.47 [1SE]) translated to a density estimate of 19 elephant-shrews per km2 (SE=23). Nest sites tended to be found in areas with greater than expected cover at the low (R. petersi is lower in the Chome Forest Reserve than in most populations in the Eastern Arc Mountains. The reasons for this difference and the conservation implications are discussed.

Publisher
Société Royale Zoologique de Belgique
Citation Information
Coster, S., & Ribble, D. O. (2005). Density and cover preferences of black-and-rufous elephant-shrews (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 135(supplement), 175-177.