DIET OF TREE HYRAXES DENDROHYRAX-ARBOREUS (HYRACOIDEA, PROCAVIIDAE) IN THE EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH-AFRICA

This study identified the dietary composition of the arboreal tree hyr ax Dendrohyrax arboreus, a rare, poorly known, forest mammal, in three eastern Cape forests. Fecal analysis showed D. arboreus to be a selec tive browser with an average of 7.2, 12.4, and 9.5 species of plants i n the diet at the Pirie, Alexandria and Springmount forests, respectiv ely. The economically important yellowwood Podocarpus falcatus was the principal dietary item at Pirie forest, whereas the principal dietary items at Alexandria forest were Schotia latifolia, Cassine aethiopica , and Eugenia capensis zeyheri. Principal food items at Springmount fo rest were S. latifolia and Euclea natalensis. Dietary preferences coul d not be explained by dietary abundance of plants, and appear to be re lated to the complex energetics of arboreal folivory. This delicate en ergy balance, together with the fact that the tree hyrax is a selectiv e feeder, has implications for the selective removal of plant species from forests of the eastern Cape.