Ve. Sokolov et al., SOME FEATURES OF THE ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF RED SPINY RATS MAXOMYS-SURIFER MILLER, 1900, Russian journal of ecology, 24(4), 1993, pp. 245-251
The authors investigated the population structure and social behavior
of Maxomys surifer, a species dominant in undisturbed and little-distu
rbed tropical forests of South Vietnam. The animals were caught and in
dividually tagged on a tagging area and a tagging line. Groups were ob
served in experimental conditions, and pairs were put together in an '
'open-field'' chamber. The size of the habitation sections in undistur
bed forests was 1567 +/- 348 m2 for females and 1125 +/- 221 m2 for ma
les. The females live in a more isolated manner than males, and their
sections almost do not overlap. In experimental conditions, 17 types a
nd forms of interaction were distinguished. When ''familiar'' individu
als were set out in pairs, elements of ritualized aggression were obse
rved more often than for unfamiliar animals. A domination-subordinatio
n phenomenon was noted. The presence of stable intrapopulation groupin
gs is inferred. The data obtained make it possible to consider M. suri
fer as a species with complex social intrapopulation organization.