A new method based on indirect evidences to infer activity pattern in moles. A test on the blind mole in Central Apennines

Title:

A new method based on indirect evidences to infer activity pattern in moles. A test on the blind mole in Central Apennines

Creator:

Di Febbraro, Mirko and Loy, Anna

Identifier:

https://cdk.lib.cas.cz/client/handle/uuid:3a991e62-cccf-4566-baea-8b7efce7f401
uuid:3a991e62-cccf-4566-baea-8b7efce7f401

Subject:

Talpa caeca and circadian rhythms

Type:

article, model:article, and TEXT

Description:

The study of activity patterns in subterranean mammals has been poorly explored in subterranean insectivores. This is especially true for the rare and elusive blind mole Talpa caeca. A field work devoted to collect data on life history traits of the blind mole was run in a montane pasture in Southern Italy (1549 m a.s.l.). Plastic barrel-like traps were placed in actively used mole tunnels and checked regularly at 6 h intervals for two sessions of nine consecutive days, for a total 1500 trap-nights. No moles were captured alive, but signs of mole activity at trap sites (traps filled with ground) were regularly recorded. A video recorded inside a trap confirmed that moles fill the traps with soil as part of trap avoidance behavior. Activity at trap sites was analyzed as a binomial variable, considering the rate of filled traps vs.the number of armed traps at each 6 h trap-checking intervals. Activity showed a polyphasic pattern typical of moles, but differently from other species, activity was more concentrated in the central part of the day (12.00-18.00). Results suggest a specific adaptation to local environmental conditions and body size.

Language:

English

Rights:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
policy:public

Source:

Folia zoologica | 2014 Volume:63 | Number:2

Harvested from:

CDK

Metadata only:

false