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Spatial and seasonal patterns of communal latrine use by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect a seasonal resource defense strategy

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Abstract

Communal marking sites, or latrines, appear to play an important role in intraspecific communication and social dynamics in a wide range of mammal species. The spatial distribution of latrines can provide clues to their function and has been well documented in a number of species. Latrine use may vary considerably through time, however, and a more comprehensive approach to their study that considers spatial and seasonal patterns of use is required to understand more fully the costs and benefits of latrine use, and hence their adaptive significance. This study investigated spatial and seasonal patterns of latrine use by spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in northern Botswana, examining their potential role in resource defense. Latrine characteristics and hyena activity were monitored to test the influence of season and location (relative to clan territories and roads) on latrine use. We conducted monthly scat counts (at 78 latrines) and continuously recorded hyena visitation (to 50 latrines) in five clan home ranges, demonstrating clear seasonal patterns in latrine use. Latrines were smaller in the wet season (November-March), resulting from fewer visits by hyenas, reduced scat accumulation, and the seasonal activity of coprophagous beetles. We speculate that such a seasonal pattern may be driven by reduced competition for food during the wet season. Latrines located within core clan areas were no larger or more frequently used than those in home-range boundary areas, but hyenas did preferentially place latrines alongside roads and were more likely to reuse road-side latrines in subsequent years. This pattern was not due to observer detection bias and adds to the growing body of literature on the impact that roads and other anthropogenic features have on the communication and movement ecology of wild animals.

Significance statement

Although most mammals use communal marking sites, very little is known about their function and detailed patterns of use in many species. We investigated latrine use in spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and describe spatial and temporal marking patterns that are consistent with optimizing scent longevity and detection. Spatially, hyenas preferentially located latrines along the edge of man-made vehicle tracks, which may increase signal detection and transmission. Seasonal marking patterns suggest that hyenas optimize their communication by concentrating activity in the dry season, thereby avoiding the disruptive effects of coprophagous dung beetles and rain, and focusing activity during periods when food resources are expected to be scarcer. These results demonstrate seasonal and spatial optimization of communication, including in response to novel anthropogenic features in the environment such as roads, advancing our understanding of communication strategies in mammals more broadly.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, and Tourism and the Sankuyo Tshwaragano Community Trust for permission to conduct this work under research permit EWT 8/36/4 XXV (15). We would also like to thank all of the BPCT research assistants that recorded latrine data, and the reviewers and editor for their thorough and constructive reviews which greatly improved the manuscript.

Funding

The fieldwork greatly benefitted from the significant support of the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (BPCT) and the numerous private donors who support the organization. This study was also funded by the following organizations: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Zoological Society Africa Seed Grant, National Geographic Conservation Trust (#C270-14), Roger Williams Park Zoo Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund, Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund, Wilderness Wildlife Trust, and the University of Nottingham.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Jessica D. Vitale & Tom Reader

  2. Botswana Predator Conservation, Maun, Botswana

    Jessica D. Vitale, Neil R. Jordan, Geoffrey D. Gilfillan & J. W. McNutt

  3. Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Neil R. Jordan

  4. Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo, NSW, 2830, Australia

    Neil R. Jordan

  5. School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9QH, UK

    Geoffrey D. Gilfillan

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  1. Jessica D. Vitale
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Correspondence to Jessica D. Vitale or Neil R. Jordan.

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Ethical approval

This research was conducted under research permit EWT 8/36/4 XXV (15) issued by the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, and Tourism, and with ethical approval from the University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences without requiring formal review by the ethics committee due to the observational and noninvasive nature of the study. Guidelines for the use of animals in ethological research, as outlined in Sherwin et al. 2003, were followed throughout this study.

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Vitale, J.D., Jordan, N.R., Gilfillan, G.D. et al. Spatial and seasonal patterns of communal latrine use by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect a seasonal resource defense strategy. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 74, 120 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02895-0

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