The feeding ecology of the aardvark Orycteropus afer - ResearchGate

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Table 5. The annual and seasonal variation in numbers of feeds and time spent feeding during observations on aardvarks. Each % time feedingwas calculated by dividing the total time feeding on one species by the total time feeding on all species. 1997 observations represent two aardvarksand 1998 represents four aardvarks. Observation periods lasted 2 h, and the overall observation time, spread fairly evenly between aardvarkswas 552 h (326 h in 1997, 256 h in 1998)% number % of time % number % of time % number % of time % number % of timeof feeds feeding of feeds feeding of feeds feeding of feeds feedingWinter 97 Winter 97 Summer 97 Summer 97 Winter 98 Winter 98 Summer 98 Summer 98Anoplolepis custodiens 66'8 31)3 48'9 21)5 19'3 18)8 51'6 54)3Messor capensis 8'7 21)3 8'2 34)3 25'8 24)3 3'5 4)5Anoplolepis steingroeveri 0 0 9'5 6)4 5'6 7)1 17'2 14)6Monomorium albopilosum 1'6 0)4 4'2 3)9 0'4 0)4 2'2 2)3Camponotus spp. 0'2 0 0 0 0'5 0)3 1'5 0)5Crematogaster melanogaster 0 0 0'2 0)1 0 0 0'4 0)1Dorylus helvolus 0'3 0)2 0'1 0)1 0'1 0)1 1'8 1)1Pheidole sp. 1 0'1 0)1 0 0 0 0 0'1 0)1Trinervitermes trinervoides7'7 4)5 19'9 5)8 39'3 18)4 1'2 1)4(ground)Trinervitermes trinervoides (mound) 14'6 42)2 6'6 22)5 2'1 29)4 0'4 1)4Hodotermes mossambicus 0'1 0)1 2'3 5)4 6'9 1)2 20'1 19)7144 W. A. TAYLOR ET AL.
FEEDING ECOLOGY OF THE AARDVARK 1453 . 5Number of mounds predated per hour3 . 02 . 52 . 01 . 51 . 00 . 50Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1997Figure 1. Average monthly feeding frequencies from T. trinervoides mounds by aardvarks M5( ), and F4 ( ) in 1997. The number of observed mound feeds in a month were divided by thetotal observation time for the same period.Orientation of digs into T. trinervoides moundsThe orientation of the aardvark digs into T. trinervoides mounds were categorised intoeight compass sections starting at 03 (e.g. 0–453, 45–903). The Rayleigh test was used toinvestigate whether digs occurred randomly on all sides of mounds or whether there wasany one-sidedness (Batschelet, 1981). The mean bearing at which aardvarks dug intomounds was 190)53. The orientation of digs into termite mounds was not random,indicating that the sampled mounds were excavated significantly more on their southsides (n"302, κ"1)67, p(0)001).Table 6. Counts and percentages of termite mounds from sampling grids (grids)and counts and percentages of termite mounds fed on by aardvarks M5 and F4during 1997 (predation)Small Medium Large Totalfrequency % frequency % frequency % frequency %GridsUndug 222 39)22 139 24)56 68 12)02 429 75)8Predug 23 4)06 61 10)78 53 9)36 137 24)2Total 245 43)28 200 35)34 121 21)38 566 100PredationUndug 32 6)6 34 7)0 56 11)5 122 25)1Predug 8 1)6 64 13)1 293 60)2 365 74)9Total 40 8)2 98 20)1 349 71)7 487 100)0
Page 1 and 2: Journal of Arid Environments (2002)
Page 3 and 4: FEEDING ECOLOGY OF THE AARDVARK 137
Page 9: Table 4. Monthly variation in aardv
Page 13 and 14: Table 8. The value of each factor d

The feeding ecology of the aardvark Orycteropus afer - ResearchGate

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