| Peer-Reviewed

Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia

Received: 5 October 2020    Accepted: 24 October 2020    Published: 27 November 2020
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Studies on social organization and activity patterns of common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) was conducted in southwestern and northeastern Dabena Valley Forest from May 2016 to June 2018. These were in Gassi Controlled Area (GCHA) the southwestern part and in Haro Aba Diko Controlled Hunting Area (HADCHA); the northeastern part of the Valley. Group sizes of common warthogs whose center were on or very near the strip line transect were detected using binoculars and naked eyes. Population structure and group categories were recorded. Observations on diurnal activity patterns were carried out using naked eyes and binoculars. The duration of each activity was recorded using mobile electronic stopwatch. Continual scan sampling methods were used to assess the activity budgets of common warthog populations. The sounder size of common warthog population in GCHA was 246, in HADCHA, it was 652. The population size in the study areas showed a significant difference (χ2=18.78, df=1, P=0.05). The highest common warthog population sounder was formed by unidentified juvenile sex: 235 (26.5%), followed by sub-adult male: 191 (21%). During the wet season, the adult male common warthog population sounder size was significantly different (Mann– Whitney: U=1.5, P< 0.005) compared to the sub-adult female. There were significant differences in walking (F122=6.65, P < 0.05) and vigilance (F122=26.21, P < 0.05) between GCHA and HADCHA during the wet season. Adult common warthogs spent the highest proportion of the daytime feeding (47.21%), followed by resting (14.29%) and walking (11.94%).

Published in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18
Page(s) 173-181
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Activity Patterns, Common Warthog, Dabena Valley Forest, Social, Organization, Western Ethiopia

References
[1] Abdu, A. and Datiko, D. 2017. Population size, habitat association of common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and their impact on agricultural crops around Diregudo forest in Gololcha Woreda, southeast, Ethiopia. I. J. Sci. Res. Publ. 7: 192-218.
[2] Ajayi, S. R. and Ogunjobi, J. A. 2015. Composition of large mammal daytime visitation to salt lick sites inside Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria. Ife J. Sci. 17: 335–340.
[3] Ali, Y. S. A. 2014. The impact of soil erosion in the upper Blue Nile on downstream reservoir sedimentation. Ph D thesis submitted to Delft University of Technology and the academic board of the UNESCO–the Institute for water education.
[4] Allwin, B., Swaminathan, R., Mohanraj, A., Suhas, G. N., Vedaminckam. S., Sathish Gopal, S. and Kumar, M. 2016. The wild pig (Sus scrofa) behavior: a retrospective study. J. Veterinar. Sci. Techno. 7: 1–10.
[5] Altmann, J. 1974. Observational study of behavior: sampling methods. Behav. 49: 227–267.
[6] Arenz, C. L. and Leger, W. D. 1999. Thirteen–lined ground squirrel (Sciuridae: Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) anti-predator vigilance decreases as vigilance cost increases. Anim. behav. 57: 97–103.
[7] Awulachew, S. B., Yilma, A. D., Loiskandl, M. L., Ayana, M. and Alamirew, T. 2007. Water resources and irrigation development in Ethiopia. I. Wat. Manag. Inst. 123: 1-78.
[8] Betrie, G. D., Mohamed, Y. A., van Griensven, A. and Srinivasan, R. 2011. Sediment management modeling in the Blue Nile Basin using SWAT model. Hydrol. Eart. Syst. Sci. 15: 807–818.
[9] Buckland, S. T., Plumptre, A. J., Thomas, L. and Rexstad, E. A. 2010. Line transects sampling of primates: can animal to observer distance methods work? Int. J. Primatol. 31: 485–499.
[10] Clauss, M., Streich, W. J., Schwarm, A., Ortmann, S. and Hummel, J. 2007. The relationship of food intake and ingesta passage predicts feeding ecology in two different mega herbivore groups. Oikos, 116: 209-216.
[11] Denes, F. V., Silveira, L. F. and Beissinger, S. R. 2015. Estimating abundance of unmarked animal populations: accounting for imperfect detection and other sources of zero inflation Meth. Ecol. Evol. 6: 543–556.
[12] Durand, E., Bluma, M. G. B., and Francoisa O. 2007. Prediction of group patterns in social mammals based on a coalescent model. J. Theoret. Biol. 249: 262–270.
[13] Fowler, M. E. 1996. Husbandry and diseases of captive wild swine and peccaries. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. I. Epiz. 15: 141–154.
[14] Griffiths, N. 1978. Counting animals. A series of handbooks on techniques in African wildlife ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
[15] Hjertlöv, L. 2015. Why do the common warthog Phacochoerus africanus stay at KichwaTembo. Skar. 620: 1–22.
[16] Jian–bin, S., Dunbar, R., Di–qiang, L. and Wen–fea, X. 2006. Influence of climate and day length on the activity budgets of feral goats (Capra hircus) on the Isle of Rum, Scotland. Zool. Res. 6: 561–568.
[17] Kasiringua, E., Kopij, G., and Proche, S. 2017. Daily activity patterns of ungulates at water holes during the dry season in the Waterberg National Park, Namibia. Russ. J. Theriol. 16: 129–138.
[18] Keuling, O. 2009. Managing wild boar – Considerations for wild boar management based on game biology data. PhD dissertation submitted to Dresden University of Technology.
[19] Mahenya, O. J. 2016. Browsing by giraffe in heterogeneous savanna. PhD thesis submitted to Inland Norway University, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences.
[20] Merid, F. 2002. National Nile Basin water quality monitoring baseline report for Ethiopia. In Nile Basin initiative trans-boundary environmental action project. Pp. 1-82.
[21] Msoffe, F. U., Ogutu, J. O., Kaaya, J., Bedelian, C., Said, M. Y., Kifugo, S. C., Reid, R. S., Neselle, M., van Gardingen, P. and Thirgood, S. 2009. Participatory wildlife surveys in communal lands: a case study from Simanjiro, Tanzania. Afr. J. Ecol. 48: 727–735.
[22] Nichols, R. V. 2012. Coexistence in ungulate communities: niches, resource partitioning, competition and facilitation. Introd. Resear. Essa. 17: 1–19.
[23] Owen–Smith, N. (1998). How high ambient temperature affects the daily activity and foraging time of a subtropical ungulate, the greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). J. Zool. 246: 183–192.
[24] Owen–Smith, N. and Traill, L. W. 2017. Space use patterns of a large mammalian herbivore distinguished by activity state: fear versus food? J. Zool. 69: 1-10. doi: 10.1111/jzo.12490.
[25] Patry, M., Leus, K. and Macdonald, A. A. 1995. Group Structure and Behavior of Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) in Northern Sulawesi. Aust. J. Zool. 43: 643–655.
[26] Ping, X., Li, C., Jianga, Z., Liuc, W. and Zhuc, H. 2011. Sexual difference in seasonal patterns of salt lick use by south China Sika deer Cervusnippon. Mamm. Biol. 76: 196–200.
[27] Risenhoover, K. L. and Peterson, R. O. 1986. Mineral licks as a sodium source for Isle Royale moose. Oecologia 71: 121–126.
[28] Rodrigues, F. H. G. and Monteiro–Filho, E. L. A. 2000. Home range and activity patterns of pampas deer in Emas National Park, Brazil. J. Mamm. 81: 1136–1142.
[29] Ryan, S. J. and Jordaan, W. 2005. Activity patterns of African buffalo Syncerus caffer in the Lower Sabie Region, Kruger National Park, South Africa. Koed, 48: 117–124.
[30] Shannon, G., Page, B. R., Mackey, R. L., Duffy, K. J. and Slotow, R. 2008. Activity budgets and sexual segregation in African elephants (Loxodonta africana). J. Mamm. 89: 467–476.
[31] Simpson, H. I., Rands, S. A. and Nicol, C. J. 2012. Social structure, vigilance and behavior of plains zebra (Equus burchellii): a 5–year case study of individuals living on a managed wildlife reserve. Acta. Theriol. 57: 111–120.
[32] Strindberg, S. 2012. Distance sampling along line transects: statistical concepts and analysis options. In: Monitoring Elephant Populations and Assessing Threats a Manual for Researchers, Managers and Conservationists, Hedges, S. (Ed.). Universities Press, Pltd, India, pp. 26-60.
[33] Svemer, F. (2010). Mating behavior and hierarchy among male warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) in Kenya. Skar. 102: 1-20.
[34] Swanepoel, M. 2016. Distribution, utilization and management of the extra–limital common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) in South Africa. PhD thesis submitted to Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Arisciences,
[35] Swanepoel, M, Schulze, E. and Cumming, D. H. M. 2016. A conservation assessment of Phacochoerus africanus. The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Pp. 1–7.
[36] Thomas, L., Buckland, S. T., Rexstad, E. A., Laake, J. L., Strindberg, S., Hedley, S. L., Bishop, J. R. B., Marques, T. A. and Burnhad, K. P. 2009. Distance software: design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population size. J. Appl. Ecol. 64: 1–9.
[37] Treves, A. 2000. Theory and method in studies of vigilance and aggregation. Anim. Behav. 60: 711–722.
[38] Treydte, A. C., Bernasconi, S. M., Kreuzer, M. and Edwards, P. J. 2006. Diet of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) on former cattle grounds in a Tanzanian Savanna. J. Mamm. 87: 889–898.
[39] Vercammen, P. and Mason, D. R. 1993. The warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus and P. aethiopicus). In: Status Survey and Conservation Plan of Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos, Oliver, W. L. R. (Ed.). IUCN Gland, Switzerland, pp. 75-83.
[40] Walter, W. D., Fischer, J. W., Frink, T. J., Hygnstrom, S. E., Jenks, J. A. and Vercauteren, K. C. 2013. Topographic home range of large mammals: Is planimetric home range still a viable method? Prair. Natur. 45: 21–27.
[41] Wanyama, F., Muhabwe, R., Plumptre, A. J. and Chapman C. A. 2009. Censusing large mammals in Kibale National Park: evaluation of the intensity of sampling required to determine change. Afr. J. Ecol. 48: 953–961.
[42] White, A. M. 2010. A pigheaded compromise: do competition and predation explain variation in warthog group size? Behav. Ecol. 1093: 1-8.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Alemayehu Edossa, Afework Bekele, Habte Jebessa Debella. (2020). Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 5(4), 173-181. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Alemayehu Edossa; Afework Bekele; Habte Jebessa Debella. Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia. Ecol. Evol. Biol. 2020, 5(4), 173-181. doi: 10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Alemayehu Edossa, Afework Bekele, Habte Jebessa Debella. Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia. Ecol Evol Biol. 2020;5(4):173-181. doi: 10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18,
      author = {Alemayehu Edossa and Afework Bekele and Habte Jebessa Debella},
      title = {Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia},
      journal = {Ecology and Evolutionary Biology},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {173-181},
      doi = {10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.eeb.20200504.18},
      abstract = {Studies on social organization and activity patterns of common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) was conducted in southwestern and northeastern Dabena Valley Forest from May 2016 to June 2018. These were in Gassi Controlled Area (GCHA) the southwestern part and in Haro Aba Diko Controlled Hunting Area (HADCHA); the northeastern part of the Valley. Group sizes of common warthogs whose center were on or very near the strip line transect were detected using binoculars and naked eyes. Population structure and group categories were recorded. Observations on diurnal activity patterns were carried out using naked eyes and binoculars. The duration of each activity was recorded using mobile electronic stopwatch. Continual scan sampling methods were used to assess the activity budgets of common warthog populations. The sounder size of common warthog population in GCHA was 246, in HADCHA, it was 652. The population size in the study areas showed a significant difference (χ2=18.78, df=1, P=0.05). The highest common warthog population sounder was formed by unidentified juvenile sex: 235 (26.5%), followed by sub-adult male: 191 (21%). During the wet season, the adult male common warthog population sounder size was significantly different (Mann– Whitney: U=1.5, P122=6.65, P 122=26.21, P < 0.05) between GCHA and HADCHA during the wet season. Adult common warthogs spent the highest proportion of the daytime feeding (47.21%), followed by resting (14.29%) and walking (11.94%).},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Social Organization and Activity Patterns of Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) in Dabena Valley Forest, Western Ethiopia
    AU  - Alemayehu Edossa
    AU  - Afework Bekele
    AU  - Habte Jebessa Debella
    Y1  - 2020/11/27
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18
    DO  - 10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18
    T2  - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    JF  - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    JO  - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    SP  - 173
    EP  - 181
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-3762
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eeb.20200504.18
    AB  - Studies on social organization and activity patterns of common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) was conducted in southwestern and northeastern Dabena Valley Forest from May 2016 to June 2018. These were in Gassi Controlled Area (GCHA) the southwestern part and in Haro Aba Diko Controlled Hunting Area (HADCHA); the northeastern part of the Valley. Group sizes of common warthogs whose center were on or very near the strip line transect were detected using binoculars and naked eyes. Population structure and group categories were recorded. Observations on diurnal activity patterns were carried out using naked eyes and binoculars. The duration of each activity was recorded using mobile electronic stopwatch. Continual scan sampling methods were used to assess the activity budgets of common warthog populations. The sounder size of common warthog population in GCHA was 246, in HADCHA, it was 652. The population size in the study areas showed a significant difference (χ2=18.78, df=1, P=0.05). The highest common warthog population sounder was formed by unidentified juvenile sex: 235 (26.5%), followed by sub-adult male: 191 (21%). During the wet season, the adult male common warthog population sounder size was significantly different (Mann– Whitney: U=1.5, P122=6.65, P 122=26.21, P < 0.05) between GCHA and HADCHA during the wet season. Adult common warthogs spent the highest proportion of the daytime feeding (47.21%), followed by resting (14.29%) and walking (11.94%).
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Biology, Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia

  • Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Sections