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Melletti, M.; Mirabile, M.; Penteriani, V.; Boitani, L.
Habitat use by forest mammals in Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic
2009  African Journal of Ecology (47): 797-800

Deforestation of tropical rainforests in Africa is an urgent problem (Achard et al., 2002) and consequently studies on its fauna are relevant for efficient conservation programmes. At present, scanty information is available on the ecology of African forest mammals. These include: the presence of forest mammals in the grassland, clearings and secondary forests (Prins & Reitsma, 1989; Maisels, 1996); estimates of local distribution, abundance and habitat use of forest buffalo (Molloy, 1997; Chamberlan, Mareïchal & Maurois, 1998; Blake, 2002; Melletti, Penteriani & Boitani, 2007a; Korte, 2008); the crucial importance of natural forest fragments for mammals (White, 1994; Tutin, White & Mackanga-Missandzou, 1997); distribution and relative abundance of carnivores in multilayered forest (Martinoli et al., 2006); feeding ecology of leopards in rainforest (Henschel, Abernethy & White, 2005); and the ecology of forest elephant (Turkalo & Fay, 2001). Being the mixed forest the most common habitat type in the area, representing the 72% of forested habitat in Dzanga sector of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (Blom, 2001), thus we aspect that most mammal species use this habitat type. The aim of this study was to contribute to the knowledge of some forest mammals by describing and comparing their habitat use. The study was conducted on the following ten species: western lowland gorilla (_Gorilla gorilla_ gorilla, Savage & Wyman, 1847), leopard _(Panthera pardus_, Linnaeus, 1758), forest elephant (_Loxodonta cyclotis_, Matschie, 1900), red river hog (_Potamochoerus porcus_, Linnaeus, 1758), forest buffalo (_Syncerus caffer nanus_, Boddaert, 1785), bongo (_Tragelaphus euryceros_, Ogilby, 1837), sitatunga (_Tragelaphus spekei_, Sclater, 1863), blue duiker (_Cephalophus monticola_, Thunberg, 1789), 'red' duikers group: black fronted duiker (_Cephalophus nigrifrons_, Gray, 1871), peter's duiker, (_Cephalophus callipygu_s, Peters, 1876) and bay duiker _(Cephalophus dorsalis_, Gray, 1846), yellowbacked duiker (_Cephalophus silvicultor_, Afzelius, 1815).

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