Abstract
A study on the pattern of mineral lick use by the Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary was carried out from February 2009 to December 2010. A camera trapping method was employed to investigate orangutan mineral lick visitation. The camera traps recorded a total of 263 orangutan visitations or 1.3 % from an overall 22,521 photographs taken. More visits were recorded between August 2009 and March 2010 which coincides with the dipterocarp flowering and fruiting season. Pairs and females with infants were recorded as the most regular visitors compared to pairs and females without infants and solitary males. The visitation time and duration varied among mineral licks and orangutan classes while the interval day visit showed that pairs and females with newborn infants visit the mineral licks continuously from the first day of the study to the tenth day.
References
Adams RA, Pedersen SC, Thibault KM, Jadin J, Petru B (2003) Calcium as limiting resource to insectivorous bats: can water holes provide a supplemental mineral source? J Zool (Lond) 260:189–194
Blake JG, Mosquera D, Guerra J, Loiselle BA, Romo D, Swing K (2011) Mineral licks as diversity hotspot in lowland forest of Eastern Ecuador. Diversity 3:217–234
Bravo A, Harms KE, Stevens RD, Emmons LH (2008) Collpas: activity hotspots for frugivorous bats (Phyllostomidae) in the Peruvian Amazon. Biotropica 40:203–210
Goldizen AW, Terborgh J, Cornejo F, Porras DT, Evans R (1988) Seasonal food shortage, weight loss and the timing of births in saddle-back tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis). J Anim Ecol 57:893–901
Johns T, Duquette M (1991) Detoxification and mineral supplementation as functions of geophagy. Am J Clin Nutr 53:448–456
Keddy PA (2001) Competition, 2nd edn. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Krishnamani R, Mahaney WC (2000) Geophagy among primates: adaptive significance and ecological consequences. Anim Behav 59:899–915
Link A, Galvis N, Fleming E, Di Fiore A (2011) Patterns of mineral lick visitation by spider monkeys and howler monkeys in Amazonia: Are mineral licks perceived as risky areas? Am J Primatol 73:386–396
Matsubayashi H, Lagam P, Majalap N, Tangah J, Sukor JRA, Kitayama K (2007) Importance of natural licks for the mammals in Bornean inland tropical rain forests. Ecol Res 22:742–748
Matsubayashi H, Ahmad AH, Wakamatsu N, Nakazono E, Takyu M, Majalap N, Lagan P, Shukor JRA (2011) Natural-Licks use by orangutans and conservation of their habitats in Bornean Tropical Production Forest. Raffles Bull Zool 59:109–115
O’Brien TG, Wibisono HT, Kinnaird MF (2003) Crouching tigers, hidden Prey: Sumatran tiger and prey populations in a tropical forest landscape. Anim Conserv 6:131–139
Shimooka Y (2005) Sexual differences in ranging of Ateles belzebuth at La Macarena, Columbia. Int J Primatology 26:385–406
Singleton I, Wich S, Husson S, Stephens S, Utami Atmoko S, Leighton M, Rosen N, Traylor-Holzer K, Lacy R, Byers O (2004) Orang utan, Population and habitat viability assessment: final report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN
Sugardjito J (1983) Selecting nest-sites of Sumatran orang-utans, Pongo pygmaeus abelii, in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia. Primates 24:467–474
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Sarawak Forest Department and Faculty of Science and Technology, UKM and our field assistants. This study was funded by research grants 09900007 (Heart of Borneo), FRGS/1/2012/STWN10/UKM/02/3, TD-2014-022, AP-2015-004 and DLP-2013-006. This research complies with the legal and ethical requirements by Sarawak Forest Department, Wisma Sumber Alam Jalan Stadium, 93660 Petra Jaya Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ampeng, A., Shukor, M.N., Sahibin, A.R. et al. Patterns of mineral lick use by Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, Sarawak, Malaysia. Eur J Wildl Res 62, 147–150 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0983-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0983-8