The role of nursery group guardian is not shared equally by female giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi)
Giraffe usually give birth to a single calf throughout the year, although some locations report that conceptions are more likely during the wet season (Shorrocks, 2016). Several mother‐calf pairs will gather to form a nursery group in which all calves and their mothers are all together (Foster & Dagg, 1972; Langman, 1977). In general, lactating […]
Antipredator behaviour of African ungulates around human settlements
As human populations grow and come into more frequent contact with wildlife, it is important to understand how anthropogenic disturbance alters wildlife behaviour. Using fine-scale spatial analyses, we examined how proximity to human settlements affects antipredator responses of ungulates. We studied seven common ungulate species (Kirk’s dik-dik, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, common warthog, common wildebeest, common […]
Giraffe mother–calf relationships in the miombo woodland of Katavi National Park, Tanzania
Both predator pressure and habitat type influence mother–offspring relationship. Giraffe’s herd size and herd composition can be influenced by these two environmental factors. We sought to uncover whether predator pressure and habitat type also have an impact on giraffe mother–calf proximity and time spent together. We studied giraffe mother–calf relationships to compare mother–calf dyadic relationships […]
Social influences on vigilance behaviour in giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis
Vigilance in ungulates is considered to have a predominantly antipredator function, with the frequency and duration of scans per individual decreasing with increasing group size. Social influences on vigilance scans have been overlooked in studies on ungulates, although studies in primates and birds show that conspecific scans are important determinants of vigilance behaviour. We investigated […]
Minimizing predation risk in a landscape of multiple predators: effects on the spatial distribution of African ungulates
Studies that focus on single predator–prey interactions can be inadequate for understanding antipredator responses in multi-predator systems. Yet there is still a general lack of information about the strategies of prey to minimize predation risk from multiple predators at the landscape level. Here we examined the distribution of seven African ungulate species in the fenced […]