The largha seal (Phoca largha) is critically endangered in China because of human harassment and habitat destruction. The Bohai Sea is their southernmost breeding site in the world and the only site in China. Long-term studies of the largha seal population in the Bohai Sea were reviewed. The seal population size significantly decreased by more than 80%, from approximately 8000 individuals in the 1940s to 1500 in the 2000s. In the past few decades, the ice formation conditions have been favorable for seals; however, seawater has been severely polluted, and available fish food resources have significantly decreased. In addition, heavy marine transportation has caused increasing levels of seawater and noise pollution. The deteriorating marine environmental conditions in the Bohai Sea most likely affected the largha seal population dynamics, and despite the seal hunting prohibition enacted in 1988, the population has been declining. No successful law has been executed so far by the Chinese government to reduce marine pollution in the Bohai Sea, which may negatively impact seal survival. More efficient protection measures for the species and control measures to improve the marine environment in the Bohai Sea are urgently needed.

Both predator pressure and habitat type influence mother-offspring relationship. Giraffe's herd size and herd composition can be influenced by these two environmental factors. We sought to uncover whether predator pressure and habitat type also have an impact on giraffe mother-calf proximity and time spent together. We studied giraffe mother-calf relationships to compare mother-calf dyadic relationships in dense woodland with those reported in open woodlands. We collected data from three calves (within the first six months after birth) and their mothers at the miombo woodland of Katavi National Park, Tanzania. We observed the mother giraffe leaving or staying with her calf and recorded the initiation and termination of each of these behaviors. We found that the duration of both states was rarely more than 1 h. We never observed a mother leaving her calf for more than 1.5 h, as has been reported in open woodlands. We found that in calf-calf dyads, giraffe were more likely to maintain closer proximity to one another than in female-calf dyads. Our results suggest that the flexibility recorded in mother-calf social relationships is influenced by both social and ecological factors, differing to some extent in tree density, food preference during nursing, and predators' prey preference.

This study presents the late Quaternary faunal change of small mammals on the southern part of Okinawajima (Ryukyu Archipelago) on the basis of subfossils in late Pleistocene and middle Holocene fissure-filling deposits. The present subfossils include the Okinawa spiny rat Tokudaia muenninki, Ryukyu long-furred rat Diplothrix legata, Watase's shrew Crocidura watasei, and an indeterminate species of bat. With the exception of C. watasei, these species no longer exist in southern Okinawajima. Predominance of these rat species suggests that the environment around the fissure was densely forested during these ages. However, the presence of C. watasei remains implies that open habitats also existed in the middle Holocene. Tokudaia muenninki remains from the fissure show that it had survived on southern Okinawajima until the middle Holocene. The upper first molar widths and lower molar row lengths in the late Pleistocene T. muenninki material from the fissure are significantly smaller than those of extant conspecific specimens, whereas the upper molar row length appears to be similar to those of the extant conspecifics. These findings suggest that the molar proportions of T. muenninki have changed since the late Pleistocene.

We investigated the scavenging behavior of some vertebrate species inhabiting a mountainous area of Eastern Tuscany (Italy). Fieldwork was conducted by using camera traps from July 2010 to June 2013. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) resulted to be the main scavenger species, followed by the wolf (Canis lupus), while the wild boar (Sus scrofa) resulted to be one of the less efficient scavengers, exploiting, in groups, only two carcasses. The wolf seemed to use carcasses mostly during the summer season, while no differences in red fox seasonal use of and visit to carcasses were detected. All the wild scavenger species showed a peak of activity between dusk and dawn, during both summer and winter, likely to minimize human disturbance. The red fox used carcasses whenever available, and in most cases it also was the first species arriving on a new carcass, with a very limited searching time. This paper represents the first Italian study on carrion use by Mediterranean vertebrate communities.

Information on the status and distribution of species within a geographical region is vital for designing effective conservation plans. We assessed the diversity and abundance of medium to large sized mammals in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, eastern India by using remotely triggered camera traps from January 2013 to August 2013. A total 916 camera trap days at 65 trap stations were deployed. We recorded 912 independent photographs and identified 20 species of mammals. Based on photographic rate of each mammalian species, the small Indian civet Viverricula indica represented high relative abundance (RAI = 2.07) among the carnivore while the Asian elephant Elephas maximus among the herbivores (RAI = 9.72) and the sloth bear Melursus ursinus among the omnivores (RAI = 2.51). Large carnivores like the leopard Panthera pardus (RAI = 0.55) and the Asiatic wild dog Cuon alpinus (RAI = 0.11) were represented by a relatively low abundance. Frequency of various anthropogenic activities from movement of livestock, feral dogs and human traffic accounted for maximum photo capture (combined RAI = 30.7) and found to be negatively correlated with mammalian relative abundance. So an effective intervention incorporating the social and ecological components is desirable for wildlife conservation in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.

One aspect of interspecific feeding associations is gleaning, or the acquisition of food resources by one species eating items that incidentally drop to the ground by another species while feeding. Gleaning is a widespread phenomenon between primates and ungulates, but primate-carnivore gleaning associations are extremely rare in the literature. While studying the behavior and ecology of the Central Himalayan langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus) in the alpine zone (3300 m–3500 m a.s.l.) of Rudranath, Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand State, India, we observed three direct instances and gathered indirect putative evidence of gleaning by Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus) beneath large Quercus semecarpifolia trees with langurs feeding on acorns during the peak fruiting season. This is the first report of such a feeding association between langurs and bears, and the second for primates and carnivores.

Between August and October 2015, we found five carcasses of the wild Malayan flying lemurs (Galeopterus variegatus) in the Pangandaran Nature Reserve in West Java, Indonesia. Such short-term mortality events have never been reported for this species. In order to address the potential factors causing it, we firstly compared the estimated population density of the flying lemurs before and after the mortality events. Secondary we collected data on temperature, monthly rainfall, and food availability (in terms of phenology scores), from which we extracted unique feature(s) when the mortality events occurred. Mean (± SD) population size within the study site (38 ha) was 27 ± 24, and the five carcasses accounted for 10–20% of the population. The availability of young leaves, monthly rainfall, and maximum temperature were significantly lower during mortality events than in other years. The rainfall was the lowest in the past ten years. This suggests that drought accompanied by food scarcity likely causes the mortality. However, other potential underlying causes such as epidemics and the recent development of a resort near the study site cannot be ruled out. After the mortality events, the population size started to recover.

The Szechwan myotis, Myotis altarium, was first described in 1911 from southeastern China, and for the next 100 years was thought to be restricted to that country with just one additional individual known from Aung Kang region in northern Thailand. We captured eight individuals of this species during surveys in Copia Nature Reserve in northwestern Vietnam and two individuals from East Khasi Hills and East Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya state, northeastern India. They are described here as the first records for Vietnam and India. We also provide comparative mensural data including the holotype and other specimens from Southeast Asia. The record of M. altarium from Meghalaya significantly extends the westward distribution range of this species beyond Thailand. Our study affirms previous observations of the cave dwelling habits of M. altarium and suggests that this species temporarily hibernates during cold winter periods in Vietnam. It is also suggested that its distribution range may encompass other karstic habitats in the mainland Indomalayan region.