Dr. Hoof Stock

We are thinking of three hypotheses:

1. the relation between neonatal calf survival and  cold stress in the winter

2. the relation among weaning,  survival and cold stress

3. the relation between mothers body condition and calf survival

We met with Kelly F. and brainstormed ideas for students and other Citizen Scientists to contribute photo data when they come to Fossil Rim.  Lets dialogue here, and look on the top menu bar for the tab [ACTION!] for the activity info.

Lets keep track here of our peer-reviewed sources of information on natural history:

Skinner, J.D. and Smithers, R. H. N. 1990. Mammals of the Southern African subregion. 2nd Edition. University of Pretoria, Pretoria. South Africa. 793 pp.

Spinage, C.A. 1982. A Territorial Antelope: The Uganda Waterbuck. Academic Press Inc., London, Ltd.
Spinage, C.A. 1986. The natural history of antelopes. Facts on File Publications, New York. 203 pp.

Estes, R. 1991. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates. University of California Press.

Ryder, O. A. 2000. Genome evolution in Artiodactyla and its relevance to conservation. pp. 296-309 in: E. S. Vrba & G. B. Schaller, eds. Antelopes, deer, and relatives: fossil record, behavioral ecology, systematics, and Conservation. Yale University Press: New Haven. 341 pp. [Evans library QL 737 U5]

Walther, F. R. 1984. Communication and expression in hoofed mammals. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. 423 pp. [Evans library QL737 U4; Biodiversity Stewardship Lab]

Cary Mungall. E. 2007. Exotic animal field guide. Texas A&M University Press, College Station. 286 pp. [Evans library QL737 U4]

RELATED SPECIES
Stanley Price, M. R. 1989. Animal re-introductions: the Arabian oryx in Oman. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. 291 pp. [Evans library QL737 U53]

Dixon, A. & E. Jones (eds). 1988. Conservation and biology of desert antelopes. The Zoological Society of London, Kent, U.K. 238pp. [Evans library QL737 U53]

For more information on herbivore/forage interactions and the comparative sociality of ungulate species, see Bibliography .

Lets keep track here of when and where we observe females nursing (ACTION ITEM).

1/4-11, 2008: Slit ear (F61Y), No tag (ribs showing), Natural notch.

1/26/2008: Slit ear (F61Y)

3/1/2008: Slit ear (F61Y) and F58Y

5//2008:  untagged female with new calf

8/23/08: F545B with new calf (left light eye)

The hay bales are placed in different locations, so we need to keep track of where there are hay pile, each time we make observations.   Renee got waypoints on the hay that was used by the waterbuck on the weekend of 1/26-27/2008.  We need to upload here the waypoints from the observations during the first week of January 2008, as well as the more recent waypoints (ACTION ITEM).

Lets keep notes on how, when and where the pellets are distributed for species in the main pasture.

Lets keep notes here on the natural vegetation that is available to the waterbuck as food.  We will welcome photos of the waterbuck, with dates, so we can measure the height of the vegetation (from the photo).  For example, on 1/27/08 Renee took snapshots and video of Crooked tail grazing.  Jane noted there was green grass less than 3 cm tall, but Crooked tail was selecting the dried blades of a curly grass.  The green grass seemed to be more visible in the area shaded by a tree, rather than out in the open where there might have been more water evaporation from the soil.

For info on the rainfall in central TX, see:  http://doublehelixranch.com/FlyGapRainTrends.html

With Michaels’ coaching, Renee needs to scan the datasheets, compile them in a word file and upload them to this comment by 2/4/08.

THANKS!  :)

1/26/2008 cf. Jane Packard & Renee Jones
6 Subadults documented as present

• small size:  project ID ?807 (Crooked tail, calf of Slit ear born 11/07) and ?808 (Crucifer, calf of unmarked female, born 11/07) .
• medium size:  project ID: ?805 (Thin line, calf of Natural notch, born in 7/2007)
• subadult size:  project ID: F804 (born in 9/2006), F549Red, F545Blue.

2 Adult males: ISIS12023; ISIS 12021

15 Adult females: F56Y (lost tag); F57Y, F58Y, F59Y,  F61Y (Slitear), F62Y, F63Y, F64Y; “Natural notch”, 6 unmarked

Nuggets

1. Both of the smallest calves were present. We counted a total of 23 waterbuck at 1118 (2 males, 2 small calves, 19 females/subadults).
2. Lucifer “checked” several females and did foreleg kick to one. He was not following one female persistently. None of the females stood for him, although several lifted the tail and he tasted urine then did flehmen. After flehmen, he did not follow and the females typically moved away.
3. Lucifer was near both small calves, although the calves did not associate with each other. When a small calf approached, he did a slight head dip. The calf did not move closer, but also did not move away. When a subadult sniffed Lucifers flank, Lucifer flinched as if a fly had touched him.
4. At feeding, Toby approached staff most closely, and Lucifer was in the middle of the females as they were clustered to the side of the truck while the feed was poured on the ground. Several times, Lucifer clashed horns with a subadult addax (one-horned). The interactions were complex, and we will need to look back at the video. In general, Lucifer moved into a patch of pellets when the larger gemsbok and addax moved on. The female waterbuck and Toby got to the pellets after Lucifer.
5. The herd cohesion was highest during feeding. They started moving from the woods toward the feed truck. During the activity of the gemsbok and addax at the pellets spread along the ground, several groups of females moved together. All bunched together and followed the truck after the pellets were dropped on the gravel road and the other species fed on the pellets. The waterbuck bunched together and followed the truck as it drove around the southern loop and pellets were spread along the dirt road in the woods east of the juniper loop. At that time, several females laid down, and several returned to the pellets near the shelter in the middle of the juniper loop. We did a focal on Lucifer at that time.
6. Toby did a submissive neck stretch toward Lucifer, while approaching from 2-3 meters at 0830+. He continued to approach with head low. Lucifer approached Toby and did two slight head dips. Toby left.
7. Crooked tail (CT) calf was feeding on dried grass at the westernmost edge of the juniper loop. There were green grass shoots, primarily within the shade zone of the trees. CT did not appear to be selecting the green grass, rather small curly blades of dry grass. See focal video for details. Crucifer looked “disheveled”, with spikey hair. Crucifer licked a bare trough repeatedly, near the shelter, before feeding. Crucifer did not gain access to pellets while we were watching. One of the subadults (unmarked, maybe F804?) stood in a humped posture (as if low well-being). Several adult females had ribs showing.
8. The herd stayed in the juniper loop. Lucifer laid down the furthest west and east. But when the females left him, he followed them. A couple females were separate from the herd. We noted one separate female looked very wide (pregnant?). We did not identify Y62. We did identify: blue tag, R549, Y57, Split Ear, Y58, Y63. A fallow deer calf associated with the waterbuck (Green 805). Y58 was not with a calf.

We did focal videos on Lucifer, often with Toby and a calf in the viewfinder. When Lucifer was inactive, we did focals on whichever calf was visible. We did scans between focals and on the hour (noted herd composition and number lying or standing). We noted the locations of all water buck within concentric circles around Lucifer (2-m, 2-4m, 4-8m, >8m). Jane recorded locations and all occurences of interaction behaviors on 18 data sheets, maps. Renee took ad libitum notes in her journal, and will add to these comments

_____

Jane