First record of crab-eating mongoose (Herpestes urva formosanus) in coastal forest and use of anvils during predation on land hermit crabs in Taiwan

IF 1.1 4区 生物学 Q4 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES acta ethologica Pub Date : 2022-04-22 DOI:10.1007/s10211-022-00392-3
Shu-Huang Huang, Chia-Hsuan Hsu
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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Crab-eating mongooses (Herpestes urva) are widely distributed across Southeast Asia. In Taiwan, the mongoose (H. urva formosanus, endemic subspecies) is a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act. Crab-eating mongooses have been observed near streams, riversides, agricultural lands, and shallow mountain areas. Additionally, as described in this short communication, by using a remote camera, we observed a small population of mongooses in the coastal forest in Kenting National Park in Taiwan. The mongooses in the coastal forest were observed eating land hermit crabs, which is the first-ever recorded observation of this behavior. Mongooses are known to consume crabs (Brachyura), insects, and some small reptiles. However, this article presents the first record case of mongooses using stone anvil to crack open land hermit crabs. From our observations and field records, we determined that mongooses use flat rocks as anvils and their front paws to tap hermit crabs’ shells repeatedly to break the shells and remove the hermit crabs. We also observed that the mongooses only ate the abdomens of large hermit crabs. Additional studies are necessary to determine why the mongooses migrated to the coastal forest and how they learned to open hermit crab shells. This behavior of mongooses might help them move into living in coastal forests.

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台湾沿海森林食蟹獴(Herpestes urva formosanus
食蟹猫鼬(Herpestes urva)广泛分布在东南亚。在台湾,猫鼬(H. urva formosanus,特有亚种)是受野生动物保护法保护的物种。人们在溪流、河边、农田和浅山区附近观察到吃螃蟹的猫鼬。此外,正如本文所述,我们使用远程相机在台湾垦丁国家公园的沿海森林中观察到一个小种群的猫鼬。沿海森林中的猫鼬被观察到吃陆地寄居蟹,这是对这种行为的首次记录观察。猫鼬以吃螃蟹(Brachyura)、昆虫和一些小型爬行动物而闻名。然而,本文首次记录了猫鼬用石砧撬开陆地寄居蟹的案例。根据我们的观察和野外记录,我们确定猫鼬使用平坦的岩石作为铁砧,它们的前爪反复敲打寄居蟹的壳,以打破壳并将寄居蟹移走。我们还观察到猫鼬只吃大型寄居蟹的腹部。需要进一步的研究来确定猫鼬迁移到沿海森林的原因,以及它们如何学会打开寄居蟹的壳。猫鼬的这种行为可能有助于它们在沿海森林中生活。
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来源期刊
acta ethologica
acta ethologica 生物-动物学
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
18
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: acta ethologica publishes empirical and theoretical research papers, short communications, commentaries, reviews and book reviews as well as methods papers in the field of ethology and related disciplines, with a strong concentration on the behavior biology of humans and other animals. The journal places special emphasis on studies integrating proximate (mechanisms, development) and ultimate (function, evolution) levels in the analysis of behavior. Aspects of particular interest include: adaptive plasticity of behavior, inter-individual and geographic variations in behavior, mechanisms underlying behavior, evolutionary processes and functions of behavior, and many other topics. acta ethologica is an official journal of ISPA, CRL and the Portuguese Ethological Society (SPE)
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