| The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is an omnivorous small carnivore, introduced to Hawaii in 1883. It presents a formidable barrier against restoration of populations of endangered species of ground-nesting birds.; Annual patterns of dispersal were studied, using data from removal plots. Males show breeding season dispersal, and greater dispersal than that of females at all seasons. Both sexes show natal dispersal in the fall. A compartmental computer model of mongoose populations was constructed, using this and other field data from Hawaii and areas of similar latitude. Conclusions of this model include: (A) two litters of young are produced annually, and (B) young stay with their mothers until 4 or 5 months of age. Seasonal removal efforts are preferable to year-round efforts, and should be applied during the months prior to the nesting of the protected species.; The Resource Dispersion Hypothesis predicts that a primarily insectivorous, diurnal carnivore like the small Indian mongoose should tend to develop social behaviors. A cryptic social system was sought, using mark-recapture and radio-tracking techniques. A male social group, probably a breeding coalition, was found, including at least five (and probably over ten) males. Coalition males shared a single home range, spent substantial amounts of time foraging within a few meters of each other, often in groups of 3 or 4, and often slept together in shared dens with at least 2 or 3 males per den. The locations of these dens, and the identities of individuals in each sleeping group, changed from night to night, allowing a great deal of social mixing among the coalition males over the time scale of a week or two. Females maintained small, overlapping home ranges within the large, shared home range of the coalition males. Males weighing less than 750 g were apparently excluded from the coalition.; A morphometric study concluded that males have more variation in mass than females do. This was not true of skeletal characteristics, which are determined before young mongooses leave their mothers' care. These findings support the hypothesis that males often carry more mass than physiologically necessary, to improve their ability to compete intrasexually. |
