RT Journal T1 HIERARCHICAL FEEDING AND HABITAT SELECTION BY WHITE RHINOCEROS (C ERATOTHERIUM SIMUM SIMUM) I N A MARGINAL HABITAT A1 M. B. Wardjomto A1 J. J. Viljoen A1 G. Malan A1 M. D. Panagos JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JO JAPS SN 1018-7081 VO 29 IS 5 SP 1476 OP 1484 YR 2019 FD 2019/10/01 DO DOI NA AB

The spatiotemporal variations in the availability of food resources influence the movement of herbivores in a given area. In this study, variations in the selection of food resources by white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) was investigated in the Songimvelo Nature Reserve (South Africa) at three spatial scale levels (habitat, patch and grass species levels) during the two seasons (late wet and late dry season of a calendar year). White rhinoceros were tracked on foot, vehicle or horse, and individual groups were observed from a distance using binoculars to identify feeding habitats. At feeding habitat level, white rhinoceroses showed a preference for Low Open Woodlands and Old Lands during the late wet season but avoided Shrublands. No habitat preference was observed during the late dry season. At patch level, white rhinoceroses used patches with low rock cover and short leaf-table-height while remaining in the lower-lying areas of the Reserve. Rhinoceroses fed on grasses such as Heteropogon contortus, Themeda triandra and Eragrostis spp. during both seasons. The model selection at feeding patch level revealed that grass species presence, mean tuft diameter and species density were the most critical factors driving grass species selection in patches. This study provides evidence that white rhinoceroses’ feeding behaviour changes at different spatial scales which result in different patterns of habitat use and movement in time and space within a given area.

K1 White rhinoceros, Heteropogon contortus, habitat selection, feeding patch selection, scale-dependent PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2019-JAPS-530