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The science behind the 2017 March Mammal Madness wild card battle video.
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Background on tournament here: http://mammalssuck.blogspot.com/2017/02/dont-call-it-is-comeback-weve-been-here.html
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Video TimepointScientific AnchoringCitationExtra Comments
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0:48"Rain forests represent the world’s richest repository of terrestrial biodiversity"Ghazoul, J., & Sheil, D. (2010). Tropical rain forest ecology, diversity, and conservation (p. 496p). Oxford University Press, New York, USA.
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Although polar regions & desertification are discussed regularly in context of climate change and global warming, tropical rain forests are warming too.The World’s Tropical Forests Are Already Feeling the Heat by William Laurence 2011, http://e360.yale.edu/features/the_worlds_tropical_forests_are_already_feeling_the_heat
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1:15Red Giant Flying squirrels are sympatric (share habitat with) numerous primate species including the lion-tailed macaque and the Nilgiri langur in India, Umapathy, G., and Ajith Kumar. "The occurrence of arboreal mammals in the rain forest fragments in the Anamalai Hills, south India." Biological Conservation 92.3 (2000): 311-319.
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1:17Rhesus mother and infant arrive with infant riding dorsally (on the mother's back). Rhesus macaques are one of the relatively fewer arboreal Old World monkeys whose infant ride dorsally. Nakamichi, Masayuki, and Kazunori Yamada. "Distribution of dorsal carriage among simians." Primates 50.2 (2009): 153.
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Where their ranges overlap or are checkerboarded, squirrels & primates (along with bats and birds) can be in competition for food resources. Beaudrot, L., Struebig, M. J., Meijaard, E., Van Balen, S., Husson, S., Young, C. F., & Marshall, A. J. (2013). Interspecific interactions between primates, birds, bats, and squirrels may affect community composition on Borneo. American Journal of Primatology, 75(2), 170-185.
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1:28Primate infant "distress calls" cause moms to come to infant's aid. Maestripieri, D. "Maternal responsiveness to infant distress calls in stumptail macaques." Folia Primatologica 64.4 (1995): 201-206.
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1:40Falls from trees or rock cliffs are known sources of injury and mortality in primates. Beamish, E. K. (2009). Causes and consequences of mortality and mutilation in the Cape Peninsula baboon population, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Town).
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2:00Fishers are mesopredator that were once distributed throughout boreal forested areas of North America, but fur-trapping of fishers (ended in 1946) extirpated them through much of their United States range. They are now being reintroduced in Washington, Oregon, and California. They eat a variety of small mammalian prey, including "arboreal rodents" aka squirrels. LaPoint, Scott D., J. L. Belant, and R. W. Kays. "Mesopredator release facilitates range expansion in fisher." Animal Conservation 18.1 (2015): 50-61.
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Fishers can be vulnerable to predation from larger mesopredators (bobcat) and apex predators (cougar).
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2:23Maternal vigilance against social aggression and predators is elevated during lactation.Maestripieri, D. (1992). Functional aspects of maternal aggression in mammals. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 70(6), 1069-1077.
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2:23Rhesus aggressive behavior includes chase, ground slap, open mouth threat (all displayed by rhesus mom in wild card battle)Thierry, B. (1985). Patterns of agonistic interactions in three species of macaque (Macaca mulatta, M fascicularis, M tonkeana). Aggressive Behavior, 11(3), 223-233.For Folks balking that fisher wouldn't run away from rhesus mom: adult multiparous monkey weighs substantially more, more motivated to defend infant, fisher out of element in tropical rain forest, and typically tackles prey slightly smaller than the baby monkey. Certainly not adult female monkey size. Also this: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/22/monkey_attack/
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"Two recent studies carried out in Bangladesh and India indicate that rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
and langurs were the third highest components in tiger diets" 		Hart, D. (2007). Predation on primates: a biogeographical analysis. In Primate anti-predator strategies (pp. 27-59). Springer US.
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The tayra, a type of mustelid (weasel), has been observed as a predator of howler monkeys in Amazonia.Camargo, Carolina C., and Stephen F. Ferrari. "Interactions between tayras (Eira barbara) and red-handed howlers (Alouatta belzebul) in eastern Amazonia." Primates 48.2 (2007): 147-150.
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But globally small carnivores (other than the fossa in Madagascar), are rarely predators of primates.Hart, D. (2007). Predation on primates: a biogeographical analysis. In Primate anti-predator strategies (pp. 27-59). Springer US.
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3:26Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the world's largest living butterfly, is found in Oro Province of Papua New GuineaParsons, M. J. (1984). biology and conservation of Ornithoptera alexandrae. In Symposia of the Royal Entomological Society of London.
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3:30Stomach contents of Felidae can include insects, but not necessarily Lepidoptera (unlike canids)Kok, O. B., & Nel, J. A. J. (2004). Convergence and divergence in prey of sympatric canids and felids: opportunism or phylogenetic constraint?.Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 83(4), 527-538.
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3:35But cats have been observed chasing/attacking butterflieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuvsess7SdUSo have bobcats! https://craigoneal.com/2013/08/03/on-the-trail-with-bobcats-butterflies/
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4:07Giant Flying Squirrels have long intestines (specifically the cecum) indicating a greater reliance on leaves in their diet. Petaurista spp in the Philippines has not been observed eating butterflies.Kuo, Chi-Chien, and Ling-Ling Lee. "Food availability and food habits of Indian giant flying squirrels (Petaurista philippensis) in Taiwan." Journal of Mammalogy 84.4 (2003): 1330-1340.
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4:07But squirrels have been observed chasing/attacking butterflieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O81fcMFgY6E
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Review from two decades ago suggests that flying squirrels do not engage in predation. Callahan, J. R. (1993). Squirrels as predators. The Great Basin Naturalist, 137-144.
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4:27"Hang gliding seems to provide a good analogue for the gliding of flying squirrels."Thorington, Richard W., and Lawrence R. Heaney. "Body proportions and gliding adaptations of flying squirrels (Petauristinae)." Journal of Mammalogy 62.1 (1981): 101-114.
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4:50"In fighting the snow leopard mostly uses its forepaws for
striking"		Hemmer, H. (1972). Uncia uncia. Mammalian Species, (20), 1-5.
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5:15While searching for info on RGFS aggression, predator defense instead I found out about a gibbon female who was adept at catching, killing, and eating them. Fan, P. F., & Jiang, X. L. (2009). Predation on giant flying squirrels (Petaurista philippensis) by black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) at Mt. Wuliang, Yunnan, China. Primates, 50(1), 45.
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5:15Juveniles are not so great at it: "the juvenile caught
the tail of an adult giant flying squirrel, and the squirrel
turned its head and tried to bite the juvenile. The gibbon
loosened its grip and the squirrel glided away."
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5:15Temperament and personality can be variable among individuals among many animal species. While some contend that "fortune favors the bold" or "the meek shall inherit the earth" substantial evidence suggests that variance in personality/temperament for boldness, shyness, impulsivity, and aggression is maintained within populations because different circumstances favor different traits at different times- as such genes contributing to behavioral phenotype rarely go to fixation.Smith, Brian R., and Daniel T. Blumstein. "Fitness consequences of personality: a meta-analysis." Behavioral Ecology 19.2 (2008): 448-455.
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aka: there will be occasional rare variants that are very aggressive, bold, and combative.Réale, D., Reader, S. M., Sol, D., McDougall, P. T., & Dingemanse, N. J. (2007). Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution. Biological reviews, 82(2), 291-318.
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But yeah, most should engage in escape as an anti-predator strategy. Blumstein, D. T., Samia, D. S., & Cooper, W. E. (2016). Escape behavior: dynamic decisions and a growing consensus. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 12, 24-29.
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5:19Snow leopards are adapted to cold climates both behaviorally and physically. In the winter their chest and belly hair can grow as long as 4.7 inches!Hemmer, H. (1972). Uncia uncia. Mammalian Species, (20), 1-5.
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5:19Heat stress is very serious in canids and felids: "heat stress is characterized by acute onset, high body temperature, and collapse... Excessive exercise also contributes to body heat. Even mild excercise such as walking can increase the body's heat production by 200%... When an animal is taken from a cold climate to a hot climate. they are more susceptible to heat until acclimatization occurs."Lewis, S., & Foster, R. C. (1976). Effect of Heat on Canines and Felines.Iowa State University Veterinarian, 38(3), 6.
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5:19Particularly for felids in captivity: "Highest mortality in summer attributed to heat stress leading to loss of vitality and energy due to high temperature in captive environment as compared animals in free living state substantiated fact that the stress phenomenon includes interaction with reduced appetite thereby cause increase in disease susceptibility"Kinge, Y. A., D. B. Sarode, and N. P. Dakshinkar. "Mortality Pattern in Captive Wild Carnivores in Maharashtra State." Veterinary World 3.1 (2010): 23-25.
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Key Take-Aways: Ecology Matters, Thermoregulation Matters, Motivation Matters, Rare Events Happen.
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Welcome to March Mammal Madness.
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https://tinyurl.com/odrpd5m
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