Observations on the food habits of some African rodents
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| Formato: | Online |
| Idioma: | eng |
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Universidad de Costa Rica
1980
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/25543 |
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RBT255432022-05-16T19:31:47Z Observations on the food habits of some African rodents Observations on the food habits of some African rodents Iwuala, Moses O.E. Braide, Ekanem Ikpi Maduka, Nkonyelu Food habits of four common species of African rodents: the giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus), the black house rat (Rattus rattus), the multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) and the pygmy mouse (Mus minutoides) were studied on the basis of stomach content analysis, habitat sampling, and experimental trials with caged animals.Vegetable items (especially grass, grains and tubers) formed the bulk of the food of all the species. Oil-palm nuts and kernels were also common in the guts of C. gambianus and M. natalensis. Animal food components of all the rodent species comprised mainly insects (especially ants, crickets etc.). Vertebrate flesh and scales were also well represented in the guts of C. gambianus. Domestic and miscellaneous food items were recorded from R. rattus, most of which were trapped in human and animal shelters. Inorganic gut contents, primarily sand grains, were found in sizeable quantities in more than 70% of the rodents examined. Results of experimental feeding trials with caged rodents showed close correlation with those recorded from field samples, especially in terms of food choices and the relative quantities consumed. The ecological and practical implications of these observations are discussed in the light of the importance of the rodents as agricultural and domestic pests. Universidad de Costa Rica 1980-12-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Article application/pdf https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/25543 Revista de Biología Tropical; Vol. 28 No. 2 (1980): Volume 28 - Regular number 2 - December 1980; 227–236 Revista de Biología Tropical; Vol. 28 Núm. 2 (1980): Volumen 28 - Número regular 2 - Diciembre 1980; 227–236 Revista Biología Tropical; Vol. 28 N.º 2 (1980): Volume 28 - Regular number 2 - December 1980; 227–236 2215-2075 0034-7744 10.15517/rbt.v28i2 eng https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/25543/25905 Copyright (c) 1980 Revista de Biología Tropical http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| institution |
Universidad de Costa Rica |
| collection |
Revista de Biología Tropical |
| language |
eng |
| format |
Online |
| author |
Iwuala, Moses O.E. Braide, Ekanem Ikpi Maduka, Nkonyelu |
| spellingShingle |
Iwuala, Moses O.E. Braide, Ekanem Ikpi Maduka, Nkonyelu Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| author_facet |
Iwuala, Moses O.E. Braide, Ekanem Ikpi Maduka, Nkonyelu |
| author_sort |
Iwuala, Moses O.E. |
| title |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| title_short |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| title_full |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| title_fullStr |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| title_sort |
observations on the food habits of some african rodents |
| title_alt |
Observations on the food habits of some African rodents |
| publisher |
Universidad de Costa Rica |
| publishDate |
1980 |
| url |
https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/25543 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT iwualamosesoe observationsonthefoodhabitsofsomeafricanrodents AT braideekanemikpi observationsonthefoodhabitsofsomeafricanrodents AT madukankonyelu observationsonthefoodhabitsofsomeafricanrodents |
| _version_ |
1810115012528701440 |