A field study of the African brush-tailed porcupine, Atherurus africanus, by radiotelemetry

Abstract

Eight ratio-tagged A. africanus were followed in the field at Makokou, Gabon. The mean, 1.5 mo. home area of 7 animals was 13.3 ha. Activity on dark nights was trimodal, but moonlight suppressed movement during the 1st half of the night. Adult males usually made a regular circuit of their home range each night, while females had no consistant movement pattern. The porcupines foraged alone, but associated at den and resting sites. A number of individuals of both sexes shared the same home area and used the same den sites.