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| Kasiringua, E.; Kopij, G.; Proches, S. | |
| Daily activity patterns of ungulates at water holes during the dry season in the Waterberg National Park, Namibia | |
| 2017 Russian Journal of Theriology (16): 129-138 | |
In this study, daily drinking activity of all 12 herbivore species were conducted in the dry season at seven waterholes in the Waterberg National Park, Namibia, where only leopard _Panthera pardus_ was present as a large carnivore. Drinking was more frequent between 15h00 and 22h00 than in the rest of the day. A conspicuous peak in drinking activity was in the evening between 18h00 and 19h00, when 15% of animals were recorded drinking water. Water holes had various frequency of attendance by particular ungulate species. Eland _Tragelaphus oryx_ and buffalo _Syncerus caffer_ were most frequently recorded species at water holes, comprising together almost half of all ungulates recorded. The kudu _Tragelaphus strepsiceros_, roan _Hippotragus equinus_, sable antelope _Hippotragus niger_ and warthog _Phacochoerus africanus_ were also in the group of water-dependent species (comprising together at water holes 41.2% of all animals recorded). Four groups of ungulates may be distinguished in the Waterberg National Park based on their daily drinking activity patterns: 1) evening and night drinkers: white rhino _Ceratotherium simum_, black rhino _Diceros bicornis_ and buffalo (i.e., those free of leopard predation risk); 2) night and morning drinkers: eland, gemsbok _Oryx gazella_ and kudu (i.e. those with limited leopard predation risk); 3) day drinkers: warthog, giraffe _Giraffa camelopardalis_, roan, sable antelope, red hartebeest _Alcephalus buselaphus_ (high leopard predation risk); 4) whole day and night drinkers: dik-dik _Madoqua kirkii_, steenbok _Raphicerus campestris_, common duiker _Sylvicapra grimmia_. Most animals drinking during the night were more active in the first half (18h00-24h00) than in the second half (24h00-6h00) of the night. |
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