This paper presents a critical assessment of the current status and geographical distribution of loaches (Cobitidae, Nemacheilidae) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This closes a gap in research knowledge with only general distribution data currently available. In the Danube catchment four cobitid (Cobitis elongata, C. elongatoides, Misgurnus fossilis, Sabanejewia balcanica) and one nemacheilid species (Barbatula barbatula) were recorded, while the Adriatic Sea catchment hosts three spined loaches: C. narentana, C. illyrica, and C. herzegoviniensis and nemachilid B. barbatula. Cobitis elongatoides was found to be the most common and distributed throughout the northern Bosnia and Herzegovina; i.e. in the rivers Sava, Drina, Bosna, Vrbas, Una (Danube catchment). Sabanejewia balcanica was recorded in the same area but less frequently. Recent bibliographic evidence forces us to exclude C. taenia from the current checklist. On the other hand, cobitid species from the Adriatic Sea catchment are endemic with a very small distribution. Also, the extinction risk status of each taxon is mentioned following IUCN categories. This study provides geographically constrained information on the recent status of loach populations in the freshwaters of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Further data on the status and geographical distribution would improve the conservation and management of these fishes.

The pattern of morning departure of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) from large communal roosts in winter is regular though it is affected by several environmental (weather) variables. A total of 151 records of the morning departure of rooks (and associated jackdaws, Corvus monedula) from two large communal roosts in the Czech Republic during the years 1966 to 1974 were analyzed. On average, the birds departed 36 min before local sunrise and 1.5 min after beginning of local civil twilight. Light intensity was the leading factor that explained 60 % of variability of the departure time. Cloud cover 30 min before sunrise, being interrelated with the light intensity at local sunrise, explained 52 % of the variability. Less important but significant factors were several weather variables such as precipitation, relative humidity of the air, horizontal visibility (fog), snow cover, and air temperature. Two best predictive multivariate regression models for timing of the birds' departure involved factors: light intensity (that accelerated the departure) or inter-related cloud cover before sunrise (it delayed the departure), precipitation (delaying the departure), snow cover (accelerating the departure due to increased food demand), and horizontal visibility (fog delayed the departure). The two predictive multivariate models explained together 75 % of variability of the birds' departure in relation to beginning of local civil twilight.

Little is known about the activity pattern and co-occurrence of mammalian species coexisting sympatrically in the rugged terrains of the Himalaya. By using camera traps we quantified diel activity patterns and temporal overlap as well as probabilistic model of spatial species co-occurrence amongst eight species. The jungle cat and the Indian porcupine tended to be strictly nocturnal whereas the leopard cat and the red fox were primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, yellow-throated marten was diurnal. The Asiatic black bear, leopard and the hangul showed no clear pattern. We found highest temporal overlap (Δ₁ = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.54-0.86) between leopard and Asiatic black bear followed by pairs between red fox and leopard cat (Δ₁ = 0.83, 95%CI = 0.72-0.91) and jungle cat (Δ₁ = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.60-0.91). The lowest temporal overlap was found between yellow-throated marten and Indian porcupine (Δ = 0.11, 95%CI = 0.08-0.20). The results from probabilistic pairwise species co-occurrence analysis suggest that out of 28 possible species pairs 25 had random associations and one pair was unclassifiable. The remaining two species pairs had positive associations of co-occurrences between leopard cat and hangul (P_gt < 0.05) and Indian porcupine and hangul (P_gt < 0.05). Our results provided new insights into this unique community of mammals of the western Himalaya and will facilitate future studies on the mechanism determining coexistence of animal species within complex system.

The Indochinese leopard Panthera pardus delacouri has experienced a sharp decline in numbers and distribution, especially in Thailand. We have analyzed its diet in Om Koi Wildlife Sanctuary of North West Thailand, where only wild prey species were present. Scats were collected during the dry-hot and the dry-cold seasons. The Indian muntjac appeared to be the staple of the leopard's diet, particularly in the dry-cold season, and consumed equally with the Indian wild boar in the dry-hot one. The occurrence of the Indochinese hog deer in the diet of the leopard in Om Koi represents the first detection record of this endangered species in North West Thailand, after being long extirpated. During the dry-hot season, poachers slashed and burnt portions of forest to flush game and to provide space for poppy fields. Muntjacs are sensitive to both forest fires and poaching, whereas Indian wild boar are resilient to disturbance, which may explain their alternation in diet.

The natural world is now receiving more and more food of anthropogenic origin, which is widely used by a large number of animal species. Among intentional supplementary feeding, one of the most common activities is the winter feeding of game animals, affecting the size, structure and behaviour of their populations. There is a lack of information, however, on long-term trends in supplementary feeding and changes in the type of feeders and feed provided, which can be crucial to understanding game animal dynamics. Our study is based on data collected in the years 1970–2015 in experimental hunting grounds in western Poland. Wildlife feed was provided in traditional feeders and along the ground (ground strips), the latter designed primarily to protect crops from damage by game animals. The first type of feeding activity decreased significantly, while the second increased significantly during the study period. The most frequent types of feed provided were root crops, cereals, hay and silage. Feed amounts between years had a strong auto-regressive temporal character, with a significant lag effect up to ten years. The total dry mass provided for game animals was also characterized by a significant lag effect, although it was weaker in comparison to individual feed types. The auto-correlation is probably a consequence of the availability and ability to store various types of feed over subsequent winters. We believe that the results presented here are the first to describe the problem of feeding animals over decadal timescales and indicate the modifications to feeding that have taken place, influenced by the animals, crop prices and social factors.

Sexual and age variation of the common shrew was assessed in 173 individuals captured in the Novohradské hory mountain range in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Age variation was found in seven of the fourteen measurements examined. In six of them (height of mandible, height of mandible measured below the first molar, length of mandible, cranial width, condylobasal length, length of neurocranium), values in adults were higher than those in juveniles, while the opposite was found for the length of the lower incisor. Evidence of sex differences was found only in three measurements: height of mandible measured below the first molar, cranial width and length of the lower incisor. Our results suggest the need for separating age and sex groups in studies of skull variation in Sorex shrews.

In this study, morphological measurements of the Malayan pangolin, namely body mass, total length, tail length and head-body length, were investigated using samples of confiscated and wild pangolins. A high correlation between body mass and total length, for both male and female pangolins was recorded, with the correlation being much stronger for females (r-value = 0.8535) than males (r-value of 0.6342). A similar trend was found on the correlation between tail length and head-body length for both sexes. In addition, new records were generated for the physical measurements of maximum body mass (13.5 kg), head-body length (79 cm), tail length (72 cm) and total length (140 cm) respectively. Results and findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of this critically endangered fauna for conservation and husbandry purposes.

The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is considered a special case of territorial ungulate. This study aimed to contribute to the knowledge of male roe deer territoriality by exploring its spatial use and activity patterns. We divided the territorial period (March–August) into three two-month sampling periods and found that the home range (HR) size of 13 radio-collared males averaged from 47.9 ± 14.5 ha to 109.7 ± 31.9 ha. We classified the spatial behaviour of eight out of the 13 males into three groups and concluded that HR size variation alone did not explain the potential territorial status. Nevertheless, it was indicative of their territorial status when considered along with the bucks’ age, spatial movements and activity levels. The activity levels of July–August were significantly lower than the activity levels of March–April. HR size variation of the males monitored significantly contributed to explain the variations in their activity levels. Old bucks were significantly less active than other males, especially during July–August. To sum up, we found an indication of an influence of spatial profiles on activity levels, though a larger sample will be needed in order to better understand differences in age and territorial status, and inter-individual differences in activity.