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

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Table 1. Ethiopian wolf density (individuals/km²) and biomass index, weighted for sub-habitat<br />

area, for diurnal and nocturnal snap-trapped rodent prey. The biomass index represents <strong>the</strong> biomass<br />

(kg) c<strong>on</strong>tributed per 100 trap nights using data from all m<strong>on</strong>ths. Mean weights used as follows:<br />

Arvicanthis blicki: 126g; Lophuromys melan<strong>on</strong>yx: 94g; L. flavopunctatus: 49g; Stenocephalemys<br />

griseicauda: 101.5g; S. albocaudata: 129.5g; Otomys typus: 100g. Home ranges (km 2 ± SD) were<br />

estimated as average 100% minimum c<strong>on</strong>vex polyg<strong>on</strong>s of wolf packs in <strong>Bale</strong> between 1988-1991.<br />

Group size is <strong>the</strong> average number of adult and subadults (mean ± SE) in a pack.<br />

Web Sanetti M<strong>on</strong>tane Tullu Ericaceous<br />

Valley Plateau Grassland Deemtu Belt<br />

Biomass index:<br />

Diurnal rats 2.7 2.9 1.6 0.4 0.4<br />

Nocturnal rats 1.8 2.1 1.2 1.4 1.7<br />

TOTAL 4.4 5.0 2.8 1.8 2.1<br />

Ethiopian wolf density:<br />

Road counts 1.0 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.1<br />

Observati<strong>on</strong> 1.2 1.2 0.3 0.2 0.1<br />

Pack home ranges: 6.5 ± 2.1 5.5 ± 1.3 7.4 13.4 ± 2.0 -<br />

Group sizes: 6.7 ± 0.7 4.9 ± 0.3 4.5 ± 0.3 2.6 ± 0.4 -<br />

Wolf Packs Carve Out <strong>the</strong> Precious Suitable Habitat Available<br />

Pack home ranges and rodent biomass<br />

While <strong>the</strong> abundant rodent fauna characteristic of <strong>the</strong> Afroalpine habitat c<strong>on</strong>stitutes a very rich<br />

and predictable source of food, this habitat is very restricted in geographic distributi<strong>on</strong>. Between<br />

1988 and 1992 all areas supporting a substantial rodent biomass in <strong>Bale</strong> were occupied by resident<br />

wolf packs, organised into discrete groups that were spatially and temporally stable (Sillero-Zubiri<br />

and Gottelli 1995b). Groups were composed of 2 to 13 adults and subadults (> 1 year old) and <strong>the</strong><br />

average group size for all 14 known packs in Web and Sanetti was 5.9 ± 0.5 (mean ± SE), with Web<br />

packs significantly larger than Sanetti’s (Table 1). Tullu Deemtu packs were notably smaller and<br />

averaged 2.6 ± 0.4. Subsequent studies indicated similar group size values not differing between<br />

Web and Sanetti (Marino 2003b; Tallents 2007), although across a l<strong>on</strong>ger time period group size in<br />

ei<strong>the</strong>r areas was also affected directly or indirectly by disease (Marino 2003b).<br />

Home ranges of resident wolves overlapped almost completely with o<strong>the</strong>r pack members<br />

and entirely c<strong>on</strong>tained <strong>the</strong> home ranges of pups and juveniles (81 to 87 % intragroup annual home<br />

range overlap between adult-adult and adult-subadult dyads, n = 4 packs) (Sillero-Zubiri and Gottelli<br />

1995b). Home ranges of individual residents ranged between 2.0 - 15.0 km² (n = 92) and most of this<br />

variability was attributed to habitat type (Table 1). For instance, combined home ranges (i.e. pack<br />

home ranges estimated as minimum c<strong>on</strong>vex polyg<strong>on</strong>s) in Afroalpine grasslands averaged 6.5 km² ±<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Walia</str<strong>on</strong>g>-<str<strong>on</strong>g>Special</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Editi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> 65

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