Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

To identify the types and proportion of plant species used by L. starcki, a combination of
faecal analysis and direct observation was used. Fresh pellets of Starck’s hare were collected from
sites of different vegetation types during both seasons. In each season, two pellets were collected
from 25 independent dropping groups at a minimum of 200 m apart. Samples were preserved in
70% ethanol and taken to the Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, for further analysis
where they were broken up, homogenized and then washed independently with distilled water to
remove fine particles for proper identification and air dried. Two slides were prepared for each
sample (mixing thoroughly) and observed under the microscope to identify the plant fragments.
All fragments found on the slides were identified as monocotyledon, dicotyledon, or unidentified.
Relative occurrence was determined by dividing the number of microscopic views in which a given
species occurred by the total number of views x 100 (Uresk 1978; Katona and Altbacker 2002).
In addition, direct observation was also used to identify different species of grasses
consumed by Starck’s hare. Four different types of habitats, where hares usually fed, were chosen
for observation from a hide. Using 8 x 42 binoculars, species of plant eaten were examined for 120
hours (68 and 52 hrs during wet and dry seasons, respectively). The plant species on the habitat was
directly observed, before and after, to see the plant eaten by looking at bitten stems and leaves.
Results
A total of 389 and 267 Starck’s hares were recorded during wet and dry seasons, respectively. The
difference was statistically significant (X2 = 22.69, df =1, P< 0.001). The highest number was 185
during the wet season in the Sanetti Plateau and the lowest was 61 during the dry season in Web
Valley (Table 1). Once a hare was seen on a transect, others were often observed. The number of
sightings refers the number of times a first hare was seen and individuals is the total number seen.
Table 1. Number of sightings and Starck’s hares recorded from each site during the two seasons.
Study site Season Number of sightings
Sanetti
Tullu Deemtu
Web Valley
(Kotera)
Total
Wet 59 185
Dry 82 124
Wet 52 109
Dry 49 82
Wet 70 95
Dry 48 61
Wet 181 389
Dry 179 267
Number of
individuals
The mean density of Starck’s hares in the study area was estimated to be 18.35 and 13.33/
km 2 during wet and dry seasons, respectively (Table 2). The highest density was obtained from
Sanetti during the wet season (25.40/km 2 ) and the lowest at Web Valley during the dry season (8.51/
km 2 ).
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 55