Abstract
Little is known about seasonal changes in burrowing activity and burrow architecture in subterranean African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia). The solitary genus Heliophobius is the least known genus of this family. We examined burrow systems of the silvery mole-rat (Heliophobius argenteocinereus) in Malawi in two periods of the dry season. Burrow pattern was influenced by the time of the year, becoming more reticulated at the peak of the dry season when soil was dry and hard. Overall digging activity did not cease during the dry season; yet burrowing strategy changed and the soil was deposited in tunnels rather than transported to mounds. The length of burrow systems was correlated with the body mass of the respective occupants. In spite of their solitary habits – and contrary to the prediction of the aridity food-distribution hypothesis – silvery mole-rats are able to occupy poor habitats with low food supply.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the National Research Council of Malawi (NRCM) for permission to do field work, and to the company "Fargo" for permitting us to work on their private land. We appreciate the assistance of M. Elichová and our local field workers. Our thanks are due to S.C. Le Comber and D. Boukal for helping in the calculation of fractal dimensions, and to G.L. Dryden for linguistic revision of the manuscript. The research was funded by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic no. 206/00/1699.
The research presented here complies with the regulations stipulated in "Guidelines for the use of animals in research" and with the laws and regulations of the Republic of Malawi.
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Šumbera, R., Burda, H., Chitaukali, W.N. et al. Silvery mole-rats (Heliophobius argenteocinereus, Bathyergidae) change their burrow architecture seasonally. Naturwissenschaften 90, 370–373 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-003-0439-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-003-0439-y