habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
Mozambique Thicket Rats are found in dense evergreen forests in southern Africa (de Graaff 1981). They have also been reported from drier bushveld or coastal forest (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). In KwaZulu-Natal, they have been recorded in montane forests and Podocarpus forests; and are thought to favour denser, more well-developed forests compared to G. dolichurus (Taylor 1998). In the Eastern Cape, they are generally restricted to Podocarpus-dominated Afromontane forest and riverine Combretum forest (KryÅ¡tufek et al. 2008; Gebe 2014). In the GFRNR, however, during periods of boom, individuals will move out of the forest and venture into the thicket (R. Baxter pers. obs. 2003â2007). This explains why this species can be caught, albeit locally in small numbers, in nearly all habitat types of the reserve (Do Linh San et al. 2011). In Mozambique, this species has been recorded from forest fringes and thickets (Smithers & Lobão-Tello 1976).Mozambique Thicket Rats are predominantly nocturnal, arboreal and prefer dense canopy cover, possibly because this decreases predation risk at the microhabitat level (Gebe 2014). During the day rats essentially sleep inside branches and trunks, and rarely in burrows, dense bushes or dead logs (Gebe 2014). In GFRNR, Cape Bushwillows (Combretum caffrum) are the predominant trees used for the resting sites, probably due to their abundance in the forest, and their propensity to rot from the inside and provide natural cavities. Mozambique Thicket Rats use several resting sites throughout the year, but site fidelity on consecutive days is very high (Gebe 2014). Specific resting sites are used by several different rats, although simultaneous sharing is relatively rare, and generally only takes place between males. Based on extensive trapping and radio-tracking data, Gebe (2014) suggested that females are solitary but not territorial, while at least some males are more social or tolerant towards each other, and have overlapping home ranges. These observations could be indicative of a promiscuous mating system.
Very little is known about the reproductive biology of the species. Skinner and Chimimba (2005) stated that G. cometes can have from 2 to 5 young and up to three litters during the warm, wet season, and similar observations have been made at GFRNR (Z.J.K. Madikiza & E. Do Linh San pers. obs. 2006â2012). Similarly, KryÅ¡tufek et al. (2008) reported that the animals from different sites used in their study had morphologically heterogeneous reproductive conditions, although a large proportion of specimens of adult G. cometes showed reproductive activity (scrotal testes, presence of placental scars or embryos in the uterus of sacrificed animals). There is virtually no information available on the diet of G. cometes, although we suspect that it is very similar to that of G. dolichurus. The latter is reported to feed on fruits, leaves, stems, invertebrates, green vegetable matter, white plant material and wood fibres (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). It is unclear whether forays on the ground are therefore linked to foraging purposes rather than dispersal events or responses to overpopulation.
Ecosystem and cultural services: Grammomys cometes is one of the core small mammals in the forest ecosystem. In the Eastern Cape, this species represented 18â23.4% of all small mammals captured (KryÅ¡tufek et al. 2008), therefore in these habitats it is likely to play a significant ecological role, for example in seed dispersal and/or as a food source for small carnivores (Nqinana 2009; Matolengwe 2010; Mbatyoti 2010; Bizani 2014).
