Home Institution

University of Vermont

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Tanzania: Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology

Abstract

Conducted at the gate of Randilen Wildlife Management Area (WMA), the purpose of this study was to contribute knowledge regarding rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) through studying their energy budget and behavior. Rock hyraxes are small mammals belonging to the order hyracoidea. Despite being abundant across most of the African continent and parts of the Middle East, these herbivorous animals remain understudied in Tanzania. During the wet season of spring 2024, a total of 70 hours was applied to this research over the course of 10 days (April 7th to April 16th) using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The aspect of energy budget was defined as the hyraxes being in an inactive or active state, and behavior was measured through socializing or isolating behavior. After the data collection period, the data was analyzed for the frequency of each energy state and behavior. The results from this study show that the hyraxes at Randilen WMA spend most of their time in an inactive state which reiterates what previous studies have claimed, however, more research is needed to better understand these creatures. In addition to contributing to the overall understanding of hyrax behavior, studying hyraxes has the potential to aid behavior research in other gregarious species.

Disciplines

Animal Studies | Research Methods in Life Sciences | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology | Zoology

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