Number of nipples varied between ten and twelve in a sample of 51 female edible dormice Glis glis from Slovenia. Ten nipples were by far the most common condition (82 % of specimens) and only two females had twelve. Animals with eleven nipples were asymmetric in the anterior inguinal pair. Three females from Monte Gargano (Italy) had 10, 11 and 11 nipples, but the asymmetric pair was the posterior abdominal one. Since the prevailing condition among dormice (family Gliridae) is eight nipples, it is suggested that high nipple count in the edible dormouse is an ecological adaptation to a multi-annual variation in resources. Due to irregularities in mast-production years, females do not reproduce annually, which possess demands for larger litters. Either the anterior inguinal (Slovenia) or posterior abdominal pair (Italy) is involved in a switch from ten to twelve nipple condition, with the difference possibly showing a geographic pattern.
In Sardinia island (Central Italy) the wild boar is originally present with an endemic subspecies, Sus scrofa meridionalis. To evaluate its demographic and reproductive characteristics, we analysed data on the harvest bags of two hunting seasons (2011-2012 and 2012-2013) in the province of Olbia-Tempio (North-Eastern Sardinia). We collected data of 325 Sardinian wild boars. Sex-ratio did not differ significantly from the theoretical distribution 1:1. We examined 175 females; thirty-five percent of them were in breeding
condition, with 56 pregnant and five lactating females. Gestation was more frequent in heavier females than in the lighter ones. The mean number of foetuses per litter was 4.2 ± 1.2 (range two-seven), with no differences between the hunting seasons. There was an evidence of seasonality in reproduction period; the mating season appeared to occur primarily in late autumn and in winter, whereas farrowing mainly occurred from March to May (56 % of births), with a minimum in summer (5 % of births).
The observations of Sunda pangolin reproductive parameters in this paper were based on the wild-caught animals and those that had spent time in captive environments, however, when analyzing the results, we did not consider differences in terms of breeding habits between the two. Still, this research has led to an increase in knowledge of the breeding habits of the Sunda pangolin. Our results suggest that there is no breeding season or season of parturition for the Sunda pangolin, which breeds all year round. We estimated the gestation period in this species to be around six months. Sexual maturity occurred at one year old or as early as six-seven months
old in some individuals, and requires further investigation. Each Sunda pangolin in this study gave birth to one offspring at a time. The sex ratio at birth was 0.875:1 (♀:♂) (n = 15); and the weaning age was estimated at four months with a weight of 1.19 ± 0.50 kg (n = 3), which concurs with recent research. Findings in this study will contribute to future analyses of population dynamics, species conservation, and both in situ and ex situ management of the Sunda pangolin. Despite this contribution, further studies are needed on the reproductive parameters of Sunda pangolin.
Most scorpion species are iteroparous, breeding more than once during their life. Some of these species are parthenogenetic. The other reproductive strategy (RS) semelparity, when scorpions breed only a single time during their life, is rare and has been documented only once. The mass allocated by the female to produce either a litter or a single offspring is the reproductive allocation (RA). It is difficult to calculate RA since the difference in female mass before and after parturition is difficult to obtain. In addition, the litter size is hardly ever accurate because of maternal cannibalism. An attempt was made to calculate RA in Nebo hierichonticus (E. Simon, 1872). Based on litter size, on breeding frequency and on longevity of the female, it is possible to estimate the reproductive potential (RP). These aspects of scorpion reproduction are reviewed and the difficulties involved in this study are discussed. and Michael R. Warburg.