Scats And Glue - A Cheap And Accurate Method For Mapping African Clawless Otter Aonyx Capensis (Schinz, 1821) Territories In Riverine Habitats

Accurate mapping of otter territories has hitherto been done by means of telemetry. However, the widespread use of telemetry has curtailed the study of otter territorial behaviour in resource-poor countries, particularly in Africa. Researchers in Africa generally do not have the resources to invest in telemetry equipment and tracking vehicles and aircraft. The implanting of transmitters in otters is a highly invasive procedure that requires a high standard of veterinary/ animal handling skills and the risks are high. African clawless otters forage in family groups and these animals share a clan terrintory along a stretch of coastline or riverine habitat. This territory is regularly marked by deposition of spraints, mostly on rocks and other prominent features on the riverbanks. In the course of this experiment, the artificial transfer of scats from known A.capensis holts into neighbouring family territories was found to elicit a prompt response from the resident family group. When the process is repeated in both directions, i.e. scats from territory A into territory B and vice versa, it gave a highly accurate estimate of territorial boundaries and when repeated over time can give an indication of seasonal variation in territorial behaviour.