Journal of Mammalogy最新文献

{"title":"Determining behavioral proxies of preference: mate choice and the New England Cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i>).","authors":"Hannah Petit, Vivian Stansell, Louis Perrotti, Justin T Richard","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag023","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reintroduction breeding programs are a key conservation strategy that can be more successful when breeding pairs are determined through mate choice. The vulnerable New England Cottontail (NEC) (<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i>) has lost much of its historic range, prompting the establishment of a program to release zoo-bred rabbits to bolster declining populations. To improve offspring production, a mate choice experiment tested the preference of 8 females with 3 males in a pen that allowed visual and olfactory contact with all males simultaneously. The length of time, frequency of visits, female urine markings, number of barrier investigations, and female proximity to each of the males were recorded as potential mate preference proxies. Females were then paired with each of the 3 males during the breeding season (<i>n </i>= 24 pairings). The rate at which females visited males during the preference test trials was positively correlated with the occurrence of mounting behavior. Compared with males least visited during the preference trial, females were 2.5 times more likely to produce offspring with males that they visited the most. Visit frequency during a preference test trial can therefore be used as a proxy for female preference in future breeding seasons. This study highlights the significance of incorporating mate selection into breeding programs and contributes to our understanding of NEC ecology.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"785-793"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416184/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of density and kinship on the spatial organization of an asocial ground squirrel.","authors":"Jaclyn R Aliperti, Caitlin P Wells, Dirk H Van Vuren","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag057","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Among mammals, spatial organization (home range size and overlap) may be influenced by kinship, and tolerance among kin is believed to play a role in the evolution of sociality. In solitary species, adults-including close kin-are presumed to have home ranges that are distinct and non-overlapping. We characterized spatial organization and behavioral interactions, including the role of kinship in a free-living population of golden-mantled ground squirrels (<i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>), a presumably asocial and solitary species. We also capitalized on changes in population size over 25 years (1995 to 2019) to quantify the influence of density on that spatial organization. We found extensive overlap between female home ranges (30%) and between male and female home ranges (28%) after the breeding season. However, the core areas of adult female home ranges overlapped minimally (7%), suggesting that squirrels were territorial, but only for the inner part of their home range. Contrary to expectation for solitary ground squirrels, kinship played a role in the spatial organization: related females shared space more than unrelated females. We did not find an effect of overall population density on home range or core area size, but increased local density was associated with an increase in home range size. While we did not find an effect of density alone on spatial overlap, there was a density-mediated increase in space-sharing among kin; space-sharing by female kin was expressed primarily at high densities, suggesting that familiarity and inclusive fitness benefits may offset costs of competition and promote philopatry under certain conditions. We also found behavioral evidence to support this interaction: greater spatial overlap of home range core areas reliably increased the number of chases between squirrels, unless those squirrels were highly related. Overall, we provide evidence of a facultative transition in golden-mantled ground squirrels from asociality to the formation of single-family kin clusters at high densities, the first step toward developing sociality. Our study highlights the importance of considering behavioral interactions in asocial species, as well as the interactive effects of environmental conditions and kinship when assessing the spatial and social organization of mammals.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"848-861"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416191/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exaggerated signaling in a solitary mammal: evidence from brown bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>).","authors":"Vincenzo Penteriani, Alfonso Hartasánchez, Carla Osterburg, Rafael Benjumea, Enrique González-Bernardo, Héctor Ruiz-Villar, Ana Morales-González, David Cañedo, Juan Díaz, María Del Mar Delgado","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag055","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Potential exaggeration in animal communication, though rare, challenges assumptions about the reliability of communication systems. While signals typically convey accurate information, some individuals may exaggerate their traits to gain competitive or reproductive advantages. Among mammals, scent and visual marks are primary communication modes, generally constrained by anatomy and expected to reflect body size honestly. However, manipulating these signals could help subadult or subordinate individuals avoid larger rivals. Using Cantabrian brown bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>) as a model, we investigated exaggerated marking and its frequency. Over 117,552 h of camera-trap monitoring (2021 to 2024) at 14 marking sites, we recorded 164 individual bears. Seven males (4.3%) engaged in potentially exaggerated marking by climbing marking sites or using platforms to mark higher than their natural height. Of these, 57.1% were adults, and 42.9% were subadults. Elevated marking occurred at 14.3% of sites, mostly during the day. These findings suggest that brown bears can manipulate 'index signals' once considered unfakeable, adding complexity to their communication system. This study provides a cautious perspective on the dynamics of exaggerated signaling, offering insights into the evolutionary maintenance of honest communication systems in nature.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"741-750"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416183/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking solitude: 5 decades of data reveal social tolerance in a traditionally solitary felid.","authors":"Aidan B Branney, Thomas J Yamashita, Lisanne S Petracca, Jason V Lombardi, Daniel G Scognamillo, Terry L Blankenship, Arturo Caso, Clay V Fischer, Lon I Grassman, Alexandria Hiott, Jennifer M Korn, Linda L Laack, John P Leonard, Victoria L Locke, Ashley Reeves, Eric L Rulison, Landon R Schofield, Maksim Sergeyev, Zachary M Wardle, Justin P Wied, Michael E Tewes","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag058","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Historically, felids are thought to follow a social structure where individuals are solitary and limit interactions with other individuals of the same sex. Behaviorally it is understood that individual male cats defend territories from others, which limits social interactions between individuals outside of reproduction. However, there are frequent reports that felid populations exhibit more social tolerance than previously described. In South Texas, Bobcat (<i>Lynx rufus</i>) densities are suspected to be high and observational evidence of trapping rates and camera trap data indicate that there may be a high degree of overlap among home ranges of bobcats in South Texas. Using data from VHF and GPS collared bobcats collected between 1985 to 2024, we investigated Bobcat home range overlap and proximity across South Texas. We calculated 95% autocorrelated kernel density estimates and quantified the degree of home range overlap between conspecific individuals. For those individual pairs that had > 13.2% overlap (the mean overlap of all pairs), we estimated whether individuals moved independently, avoided each other, or moved closer to one another. From 1981 to 2024, the average Bobcat home range was 7.91 km² (95% confidence interval = 6.43 to 9.62 km²) and did not significantly change for males or females across decades. We observed 102 instances of home range overlap, 59 in VHF-monitored individuals and 43 of them in GPS-monitored bobcats. From our proximity analysis of GPS-monitored bobcats, individuals primarily moved independently of one another but did not avoid each other as much as might be expected, especially in same-sex comparisons. Using a long-term dataset on bobcats, we reveal that bobcats are not inherently solitary within our study system. Our work provides a framework for examining social interactions in other traditionally solitary animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"751-762"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416186/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drivers of spatial dynamics of a large ungulate (American Bison, <i>Bos bison</i>): forage productivity or site fidelity?","authors":"Kate A Asmus, Carter G Kruse, Dustin H Ranglack, John F Benson","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag054","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Optimal foraging theory predicts that animals should reduce energy expenditure and maximize fitness by establishing home ranges in areas with abundant, high-quality forage. However, ungulates may not select optimal foraging habitat when behavior is driven by site fidelity. On Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico, managers translocated American Bison (hereafter, bison) to high elevations to reduce historically heavy grazing in lower elevations and to distribute the ecological effects of grazing across the broader landscape. We hypothesized that: (i) home range size is driven by forage abundance and quality; but that (ii) site fidelity can result in suboptimal selection of home ranges in areas with lower forage abundance and quality. We estimated space use and resource selection of free-roaming GPS-collared bison occupying lower elevation sites of historical use and bison translocated to higher elevations to evaluate drivers of home range size and selection. Home range size was strongly negatively influenced by forage abundance. However, without translocation, bison exhibited fidelity to areas of historical use and selected seemingly suboptimal home ranges with lower forage biomass. Conversely, bison that established home ranges following translocation to higher elevations selected home ranges with greater forage biomass. Greater forage biomass enabled bison to use smaller home ranges, increasing spatial efficiency and cohesion. Bison on Vermejo that were not translocated by managers established home ranges at lower elevations despite the availability of higher quantity and quality (nitrogen yield) of forage at higher elevations. Thus, home range selection appeared to be guided by site fidelity rather than foraging optimally across the larger landscape. For managed ungulates, translocation may facilitate access to superior resources and eventually begin to restore knowledge of migratory routes and seasonally abundant forage.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"726-740"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416189/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological indicators of Caribou calf health and compensatory responses to physiological perturbations.","authors":"Kristin Denryter, Jacob Pryor, Amanda Puype","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag051","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Captive husbandry is a cornerstone of modern Caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i> subspecies) conservation (e.g., captive rearing) and research in North America. Husbandry protocols have long emphasized feeding and nutrition programs, but information on health metrics-such as vital signs essential for evaluating animal health-is more limited, especially for young Caribou. We documented vital signs (i.e., body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate) of <i>n </i>= 8 hand-reared Caribou calves, each day, from 0 to 23 wk of age. We used multilevel, mixed-effects regression models to evaluate: (i) how vital signs changed as calves grew; and (ii) whether calves compensated (as indicated by changes in vital signs) for physiological perturbations (i.e., changes from homeostasis such as elevated body temperature). We excluded data from 1 calf that had a chronic illness; among healthy, juvenile Caribou in our study, mean (±SE) heart rate was 89 ± 0.7 beats/min, respiratory rate was 19 ± 0.2 breaths/min, and body temperature was 38.9 ± 0.01 °C. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature decreased as calf age and body mass increased; increasing calf age was a better predictor of heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature than body mass. Caribou calves exhibited physiological compensation for increasing body temperature by increasing heart rate and respiratory rate. Heart rate also increased as a function of increasing respiratory rate. Our findings for age-specific vital signs in Caribou calves can serve as baselines for future physiology studies and captive-rearing efforts that may enhance early detection and treatment of illness in captive Caribou.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"714-725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416188/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148621989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New <i>Murina</i> (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) species and the first <i>Murina annamitica</i> record in China.","authors":"Xin Mou, Yishun Qian, Chunping Ke, Lihong Bai, Laniang Li, Song Li","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag035","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the examination of archived specimens, we identified morphologically distinct individuals of the genus <i>Murina</i>. These distinct specimens were collected in 2023-2024 from Luchun County (Huanglianshan National Nature Reserve) and in 2019 from Mengla County, Yunnan Province, China. While some of the specimens superficially resemble <i>M. balaensis</i> and <i>M. eleryi</i>, they can be unambiguously distinguished from these species and all other congeners by a suite of external and cranial characteristics. Simultaneously, phylogenetic analyses and genetic distances based on mitochondrial cytochrome <i>b</i> and cytochrome c oxidase I genes also indicate the uniqueness of these specimens. Based on integrative morphological and phylogenetic evidence, we herein describe these specimens as a new species, <i>Murina huanglianensis</i> S. Li & Mou, sp. nov. For another specimen (KIZ20190169), morphological and molecular analyses confirmed its identity as <i>M. annamitica</i>. Since <i>M. annamitica</i> has not been previously recorded in China, it is herein reported as a first country record for China, with a redescription provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 3","pages":"518-531"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13271760/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148273683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wildlife responses to nonmotorized recreation in the Southern Canadian Rockies: a multiscale analysis near Fernie, BC.","authors":"Clayton T Lamb, Emily Chow","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag029","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human outdoor recreation is expanding across natural landscapes, yet its effects on wildlife remain poorly understood across spatial and temporal scales and across different contexts. We assessed the responses of large mammals to nonmotorized recreation near Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, using a multiscale observational approach combining data from 66 camera traps and GPS telemetry from 21 grizzly bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>). We evaluated the following: (1) how wildlife detections varied by trail type, relative to the broader landscape, and with varying levels of recreational users; (2) whether animals shifted activity to avoid peak human use; and (3) how collared Grizzly Bear movement responded to recreation trails compared to other anthropogenic features. Trail type, surrounding landscape, and recreational pressure significantly influenced detection rates, but responses varied by species and scales. Elk (<i>Cervus canadensis</i>) showed the strongest avoidance, with reduced presence on recreation trails and a marked shift toward low-use periods. In contrast, Moose (<i>Alces alces</i>) and Mule Deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) were more frequently detected on or near recreation trails. Grizzly bears consistently avoided areas adjacent to recreation trails in GPS movement data and camera detections but were detected on recreation trails more than nearby wildlife trails suggesting that when they do move through the trail network they do so on recreation trails. These findings highlight species- and scale-dependent behavioral responses, with effects ranging from strong (elk), to moderate (grizzly bears), to minimal (black bears, moose, mule deer, red foxes, and white-tailed deer). Our results suggest that concentrating recreation near existing developed areas and during mid-day should minimize impacts on wildlife while providing important access to recreation for people. Maintaining low-use zones elsewhere will be important for more sensitive species. While observational studies like ours are valuable for identifying patterns and informing management of rapidly changing pressures, stronger inference through experimental designs is encouraged to clarify causal relationships between recreation and wildlife behavior and further elucidate species- and context-dependent relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 3","pages":"652-667"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13271761/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148273639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-strata \"camera columns\": an effective approach to characterize non-volant mammal communities in tropical forests.","authors":"Daniel Alempijevic, David Essian, Charlene Fournier, Martin Balimu, Junior Amboko, Kate M Detwiler","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag047","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding how arboreal mammals partition vertical space is essential to accurately characterize tropical forest communities, yet most camera trap surveys focus on the forest floor, or pair canopy and ground surveys. While canopy camera trapping is revealing new insights about arboreal mammals, sampling at a single height at each sampling point may obscure patterns in community structure. To address this gap, we developed a \"camera column\" technique, deploying 3 vertically aligned cameras at ground, understory-midstory, and canopy levels across 3 survey areas in Lomami National Park and its buffer zone, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We used this method to evaluate the species richness, community composition, and vertical habitat use of non-volant mammals. We identified 47 mammal taxa, including 8 outside their documented geographic range. Species accumulation curves showed that pooling detections across strata increased estimated richness relative to single-stratum sampling. However, pairwise pooling of strata to produce rarefaction curves revealed that combining ground and canopy cameras can sufficiently estimate species richness, suggesting redundancy in understory detections. Ordination analyses and height-distribution data revealed strong vertical structuring of mammal communities, with understory detections overlapping both terrestrial and canopy assemblages and capturing transitional habitat use. Notably, one-quarter of the arboreal taxa favored the understory-midstory level, indicating that reduced-strata surveys may mischaracterize vertical habitat use and bias analyses informed by presence/absence data. Our results demonstrate that while ground-canopy camera combinations may approximate species richness, full vertical sampling is necessary to accurately interpret community structure and ecological roles of species. Multi-strata camera columns provide a scalable approach for biodiversity assessment and conservation monitoring in structurally complex tropical forests.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"794-809"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416187/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148621913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Growth patterns, sexual dimorphism, and seasonal body mass variation in Plains Zebra of the Serengeti Region, Tanzania.","authors":"Saeideh Esmaeili, Peter J P Gogan, Kathryn A Schoenecker, Ronald O Skoog","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag044","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jmammal/gyag044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Knowledge of growth patterns and physical properties of animals helps researchers assess population characteristics and health in the field. Information on age-specific body measurements and growth patterns is rare in ungulates because examining a large portion of a population is time-, budget-, and personnel-intensive in the wild. We collected age- and sex-specific body measurements from 442 Plains Zebra (<i>Equus quagga boehmi</i>) culled in the Serengeti region, Tanzania, between 1969 and 1971. The dataset contained 307 males and 133 females. We found that males were on average 2.8% larger than females in body measurements of heart girth, height at shoulder, neck-body length, hind foot length, and the body mass, indicating minimal sexual dimorphism in adult Plains Zebra. We used polynomial regression to explore the relationship between heart girth and body mass and applied third-degree polynomial regression models to predict body mass for 34 females and 115 males with recorded girth but missing body mass records. We applied 5 non-linear models-Gompertz, von Bertalanffy, Bertalanffy-Pütter, logistic, and Richards-to characterize sex-specific growth trajectories for each trait. Our results showed that different traits followed different growth patterns, with size asymptotes reached by ∼2 to 5 yr depending on trait and sex. Seasonal trends in adult body mass were also evaluated using generalized linear models incorporating sex and cyclical effects of day of year. While female body mass showed little seasonal variation, adult males exhibited a 16.9% increase in mass during the wet season, followed by a sharp decline, suggesting greater seasonal plasticity and energetic investment. Our work is one of the few studies on body size and growth in wild equids, which provides new information on age- and sex-specific growth trajectories for comparison across zebra subspecies over time and space.</p>","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"107 4","pages":"763-772"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13416185/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148622400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}