Dendrohyrax arboreus (A. Smith, 1827)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Procaviidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 41-47 : 47

4.

Southern Tree Hyrax

Dendrohyrax arboreus

French: Daman des arbres / German: Sidlicher Baumschliefer / Spanish: Damanarboricola meridional

Other common names: Tree Dassie

Taxonomy. Hyrax arboreus A. Smith, 1827 ,

South Africa, Western Cape Prov. forests of Cape of Good Hope.

Seven subspecies have been described, but taxonomic boundaries are poorly defined.

Subspecies and Distribution.

D.a.arboreusA.Smith,1827—SouthAfrica(EasternCape&KwaZulu-Natalprovinces).

D.a.adolfifriedericiBrauer,1913—EDRCongo,SWUganda,Rwanda,andBurundi.

D. a. bettoni Thomas &Schwann, 1904 — Kenya.

D. a. braueri Hahn, 1933 - NE Amzola. S DR Gonzo and Zambia.

D.a. crawshayi Thomas, 1900 - C Kenya.

D. a. ruwenzorii Neumann, 1902 - NE DR Congo (Ruwenzori Mts).

D. a. stuhlmanni Matschie, 1892 - SW KenyaîTanzania, SE DR VCongo, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 32-60 cm; weight 1.7-4. 5 kg. Males and females are approximately the same size. General coloration dark brown to gray, but very variable; may appear grizzled due to buff band below black tips of guard hairs. Individuals from high rainfall areas have darker pelage. Head often darker than rest of body and ventral pelage pale, creamy, or white. Dark yellow 23-30 mm long erectile hairs in the middle of back surrounding the dorsal gland. Four digits on forefeet, three on hindfeet, with nails rather than claws, inner digit on hindfoot curved for grooming. Soles of feet are padded pink, but in ruwenzorii black in color. Cheek teeth hypsodont. Number of mammae variable. Subspecies ruwenzorii and stuhlmanni have four mammae, two front and two back. In males the anus-preputial opening distance is 1-7 cm. The penisis short, simply built, and slightly curved. Longevity over ten years.

Habitat. Afro-montane forest from sea level to subalpine areas up to about 4500 m. In the Ruwenzori they also live among rock boulders. In central Mozambique Southern Tree Hyraxes occur in lowland evergreen forests as well as in the evergreen forests bordering the Save River. In East Africa they occur in drier Acacia woodland and evergreen riverine forests, mainly in fig trees. In southern and eastern Africa, Southern Tree Hyraxes are dependent on cavities oftrees, epiphytes, or dense matted forest vegetation for shelter. In fragmented afro-montane forest in South Africa they persist as a dynamic mainland-island metapopulation. They have the ability to live in small forest patches, under moderate disturbance, and in a significant human-altered matrix. Therefore, all forest patches should be conserved and human disturbance reduced. Known predators include hawk-eagles (Hieraeutus sp.), crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), Leopards (Panthera pardus), Golden Cats (Profelis aurata), genets (Genetta spp.), Servals (Leptailurus serval), Caracals (Caracal caracal), and larger owls and snakes. Tree hyraxes have a number of species of biting lice as parasites.

Food and Feeding. Predominantly herbivorous, browsing leaves, buds, twigs, and fruits from forbs and trees year-round. Important dietary species in East Africa include Podocarpus latifolius, Schefflera volkensii, Ilex mitis, andJuniperus procera, and in southern Africa P. falcatus, Schotia laitfolia, Cassine aethiopica, Euclea natalensis, and Eugenia capensis . In the Virunga Volcanoes, leaves of Hagenia abyssinica, Hypericum revolutum, Senecio maranguensis, Galium ruwenzoriense, and Pleoppeltis excavata formed the bulk of their diet. In the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, they browse almost exclusively on Ficus natalensis and Acacia albida trees.

Breeding. Reproductive biology unknown. Gestation period 220-240 days; 1-2 young per female.

Activity patterns. Tree hyraxes are nocturnal, with activity peaks after sunset and in the early morning before sunrise.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Primarily solitary, but groups of two and three can be found (likely mother and subadult young). Occasionally seen as family groups, several females with single male. Population densities and social organization are poorly known. The calls start with several cracking sounds, which are followed by a loud scream, repeated several times. Several short cracking sounds follow immediately after each of the first few screams. Later in the sequence the scream occurs alone. Mostly males but also females produce these calls. Each animal call is so distinctive it allows individual recognition by the human observer.

Status and Conservation. Currently classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Rare and officially protected in South Africa. Several populations are probably endangered due to deforestation. Certain African tribes hunt tree hyraxes as a source of food, to collect skins, and as medicine. They are also important in the spiritual traditions of some tribes.

Bibliography. Bothma (1966, 1971), Castely & Kerley (1993), Coetzee (1966), Dobson (1876), Eley (1994), EIlerman et al. (1953), Estes (1991), Fischer (1992), Gaylard (1994), Gaylard & Kerley (1997, 2001), Hahn (1934), Hoeck (1978c), Kingdon (1971, 1997), Meester et al. (1986), Meyer (1978), Milner (1994), Milner & Harris (19993, 1999b), O'Donoghue (1963), Roberts (1951), Roche (1962, 1972), Rudnai (1984), Sale (1969), Schlitter (1993), Skinner & Chimimba (2005).

Figures

1. Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis), 2. Bush Hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei), 3. Western Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis), 4. Southern Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus), 5. Eastern Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax validus)