COMPARATIVE ECOLOGY OF 2 AFRICAN FOREST MONGOOSES, HERPESTES NASO ANDATILAX PALUDINOSUS

During a two-year period, two mongoose species (Herpestes (Xenogale) n aso and Atilax paludinosus) were studied in the Dzanga-Sangha forest o f south-western Central African Republic by live-trapping, radio-telem etry, tracking and seat analysis. Clear separation with respect to hab itat, activity patterns and food habits was observed. Herpestes naso, previously thought to be rare and known only from a few museum specime ns, was the most abundant species in the carnivore community; in total , eleven individuals were trapped. Radio-collared Herpestes naso spent most of their time in upland forest, but a high degree of range overl ap was observed in stream-side habitat. They were strictly diurnal and the location of their nocturnal resting sites varied from day to day. Atilax paludinosus was restricted to the swamp forest immediately adj acent to streams. A radio-collared male exhibited a crepuscular activi ty pattern, and the distribution of day-beds along the length of its h ome range was highly clumped. Mean travelling speeds of Atilax exceede d those of Herpestes, most likely because of the near linear shape of its home range and greater distance between borders. The diets of both carnivores were dominated by arthropods, with Atilax consuming more a quatic prey than Herpestes. It is suggested that the higher degree of habitat specificity exhibited by Atilax in the study area compared wit h other parts of its range was a result of the absence of otters from the smaller tributaries of the Dzanga-Sangha forest or perhaps to the social dominance of Herpestes naso.