Mt. Hakodate, Hokkaido, is a small mountain geographically isolated by the sea and urban area, and some red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) live there. In consideration of the specific geographical environment, we made a hypothesis that the fox population on Mt. Hakodate is small in size and isolated, and consequently its genetic variation is low, and then tested it. To investigate the genetic variation, we genotyped microsatellite loci using fecal samples collected noninvasively from 2009 to 2011. As the result, we successfully identified 35 foxes for the three years (12 in 2009, 11 in 2010, and 22 in 2011), and presumed eight of them were adults, indicating that the population size is extremely small. The genetic structures and degree of differentiations showed that the Mt. Hakodate population was genetically differentiated from those of the other populations. The urban area of Hakodate City could have played a role of a dispersal barrier for foxes. Additionally, the genetic diversity of the Mt. Hakodate population was lower than those of the other populations in Hokkaido. Our results suggested that the Mt. Hakodate population have low genetic diversity due to restricted gene flow and the small population size, supporting our hypothesis.

Postnatal changes in body mass and flight-related morphological features were monitored by mark-recapture method in a breeding colony of Geoffroy's bat Myotis emarginatus in Kerend cave, western Iran. At birth, neonates' average and standard deviation of body mass, length of forearm, and length of epiphyseal gap were 2.57 ± 0.33 g, 17.37 ± 1.60 mm, and 2.65 ± 0.42 mm, respectively. Body mass and forearm length of pups increased monotonically until 20 days, when they achieved 72.37% and 91.70% of the values of postpartum females and thereafter growth rates decreased. Epiphyseal gap length increased to its maximum size at about 8–10 days after birth and subsequently decreased. Wing characteristics including wingspan, wing area, handwing length, handwing area, armwing length, and armwing area increased monotonically until the age of the first flight, after which growth rates significantly declined (all P < 0.05). Pups achieved sustained flight at 25–30 days of age. Wing loading of pups was 11.28 ± 1.27 Nm^-2 and decreased monotonically to 5.99 ± 0.68 Nm^-2, but aspect ratio remained fairly constant. Regression analysis indicates that handwing length and forearm length provide the most accurate estimate age of the young of My. emarginatus.

We examined the relationship between the feeding habits of Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus) and fruit availability during summer and autumn from 2008 to 2011 in the Ashio-Nikko Mountains, Japan. Our main questions were as follows: 1) How does the availability of multiple fruit species influence the feeding habits during summer and autumn? and 2) When do bears begin to forage on hard mast in relation to the availability of various fruit species during summer and autumn? The relationship between feeding habits and fruit availability differed between seasons: in summer, bears ate any fruit species that was available, whereas in autumn, Quercus crispula was the first fruit used, even in poor masting years when other fruit species were more available. In addition, the time when bears started to consume Q. crispula differed between years; more than half a month earlier in years when Padus grayana, the main food item prior to Q. crispula in this area, was not available. Thus, the timing of presence of prior foods may influence the timing of food transition. This demonstrates that both the abundance and timing of fruiting influence the feeding habits of bears.

Because knowledge of home range dynamics and habitat selection is lacking for whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan, we radiomarked 89 female deer and studied these aspects of their biology during 2005–2008. Mean (± SE) size of annual home ranges and core areas (n = 89) were 2.3 ± 0.1 km² and 0.5 ± 0.2 km², respectively, and somewhat smaller than in other northern deer populations. Mean home-range and core-area sizes for the springsummer period (n = 87) were 1.9 ± 0.1 km² and 0.4 ± 0.1 km², respectively. Mean home-range and core-area sizes for the fall-winter period (n = 29) were 2.1 ± 0.2 km² and 0.5 ± 0.1 km², respectively. Neither home-range nor core-area sizes differed seasonally (P > 0.135), and seasonal home ranges were comparable in size to other northern deer populations. Cover-type use did not differ seasonally between home ranges and core areas (P = 0.752). Most deer resided in the same general area year-round and had overlapping seasonal home ranges and core areas. We conclude that stability observed in seasonal home ranges and habitat selection were influenced by relatively warm winter conditions during our study.

Seasonal and short-term foraging patterns of the Tsushima marten (Martes melampustsuensis) were examined using the stomach content analysis. To do this, the indices of frequency, amount, and number of consumed individual animals and plants taken from 120 stomachs of roadkilled martens were investigated. The frequency of occurrence and the total wet weight and number of consumed individual insects, earthworms, and fruits represented 40–90% of all foraged food categories from spring to autumn. Thus, these three categories were regarded as the main foods of the Tsushima marten. However, martens did not forage on specific food categories intensively in winter. As the availability of the three main categories generally decreased in winter, martens expanded their target food categories and dietary niche breadth. The consumed wet weight of fruits was higher than that of the other main categories from summer to winter. As large fruits were available in these seasons, martens would obtain high food biomass over short periods efficiently. Quantitative stomach content analysis of the omnivorous Tsushima marten allowed us to reveal their seasonal different diet, the utilization of digestible foods (i.e., earthworms), and the influence of the fruiting period and size of each fruit on the short-term foraging efficiency.

Turning ability is a factor that determines success in hunting prey and escaping from predators. However, little is understood about the biomechanics of turning at high speeds. We investigated gait characteristics of the cheetah and greyhound while running in a straight line and on curves. Four cheetahs and four greyhounds were filmed running around a 400-m track consisting of two 80-m straights and two bends with a radius of 38 m in a counterclockwise direction. The animals were motivated to run using a lure with speeds of 15–18 m s^-1 We found that the footfall order was fixed during curve running, although it was variable while running straight. Both the cheetahs and greyhounds used the rotatory gallop with the footfall order of right fore, left fore, left hind, and right hind during curve running. The duty factor increased on curves compared with straight running for three out of the four limbs in the greyhounds, but only for the inside hindlimb in the cheetahs. Interlimb coordination varied across running conditions in the cheetahs, but was unchanged in the greyhounds. The results suggest that animals do not use exactly the same strategies to deal with curve running.

The birth of twins, and especially multiple sirehood dizygotic twins, is very rare in Old World monkeys, the only previous record is of a captive rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Here, we report a case of multiple sirehood dizygotic twins among the 114 newborns (0.88%) recorded in a population of semi-wild stump-tailed macaques (M. arctoides) in the Khao Krapuk Khao Taomor (KKP) Non-hunting Area, Thailand. Using ten microsatellite markers, we determined that the infants were sired by different adult males, thus suggesting the multiple sirehood. Since the association between twin birth and high frequencies of supernumerary (> 2) nipples was reported in Formosan macaques (M. cyclopis) in Taiwan, the supernumerary nipples were observed in KKP macaques. Of the 332 monkeys counted, 22% of the adults and subadults in the KKP population, and 33.3% of females in the focus (Ting) group, had supernumerary nipples. However, both twins and their mother had two ordinary nipples. Thus, we conclude that it has no association between the occurrence of supernumerary nipples and twin births in stump-tailed macaques.

In Japan, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) have been observed using burrows made by Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma). However, basic information, including how and when the species share the burrows, is scarce. In this study, a camera trap was set at a burrow entrance used by badgers, and different mammals that used the burrow were investigated. Burrow uses by six identified mammalian species and unidentified species from two mammal groups (rodents and bats) were confirmed. The capture frequency of rodents increased, when that of three Carnivora species decreased. Accordingly, rodents might use the burrow selectively during seasons when carnivore usage of the burrow was low. Raccoon dogs, red foxes, and Japanese badgers showed considerable searching behavior, the frequency of which differed significantly among these species. Raccoon dogs and red foxes seemed to avoid contact with Japanese badgers by performing more searching than badgers. Therefore, the mammals engaged in interspecific burrow sharing are likely to exhibit temporal differentiation.