September 2013

MAMMALMAP NEWSLETTER

Vol. 1 Issue 2

THE RED LIST OF SOUTH AFRICA

It is long overdue, but the Red List of South African mammals (including Swaziland and Lesotho) is finally being updated this year. MammalMAP is partnering up with The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to revise this list, in order to establish which species are threatened. This in turn will help conservationist to devise strategies to protect and save these specific species. Each month we will be focusing on a specific group of mammals until we have covered all of South Africas mammals. This month our species of focus will be from the super order Afrotheria a manic (but functionally correct) grouping of elephants, dugongs, hyraxes, golden moles, elephant shrews, tenrecs, and aardvarks.

An African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Photograph by David Kennedy

NEW CARNIVORE SPECIES DISCOVERED

Scientists at the Smithsonian have discovered a new mammal species called the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina).

A Rock elephant shrew (Elephantulus myurus) Photograph by JH Wilkinson

This carnivore is the first mammal species discovered in the Americas in 35 years. The olinguito is found in Ecuador and although the animal has been seen previously by humans, they have been mistakenly identified as olingos. Olinguitos are arboreal mammals that feed on fruits, nectar and insects. They are primarily active at night. Their preference for misty high elevation habitats have kept them safely off the radaruntil now.

MammalMAP
Putting Africas mammals on the map

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US: E-mail: mammalmap@gmail.com or visit our blog at mammalmap.blog.com Postal address: Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town An olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina) Photograph by Mark Gurney

MAMMALMAPPER OF THE MONTH!

September 2013
Vaughan is still on top of the MammalMAPPER Leader board. If you missed his interview last month, check it out below.

Vol. 1 Issue 2

How did you find out about MammalMAP? I blame a very cool old professor and one of the "MammalMAP girls for introducing me to the awesome project! Where did your passion for animals come from? My Parents worked for nature conservation in Namibia, and I have spent my days as a young child in the regions of Northern Namibia, so it is very much "in my blood". What is your favourite mammal? Very tough question... Lions would be my favourite of the "big and hairies", but generally, I appreciate and admire all mammals. (Excluding the Honey badger that raided my dustbins again last night...) Why do you think MammalMAP is important? It is different from many projects that I have followed in the past, and even been part of. Generally, with research projects, the results and data is usually very difficult to obtain, and many projects have been running for years without any real outcomes, not to mention the new trends of "research projects" which are in fact just volunteer based businesses, and have very little practical research value. The VM however, (which includes MammalMAP) in its simplest form, is a foundation of what the future of research should be looking like, with data that is not anyone's in particular, but rather everyone's combined contribution. Where valuable information can originate that is useful (and practical) in conservation efforts, stored in a database which is open to scientists, researchers and even general public, and not ending up on a hard drive somewhere to be forgotten about. The potential for smaller "sub-projects" which can utilize the data received and catalogued by the Virtual Museums is phenomenal, and this project in my opinion, will form the foundation for further mammal studies within Africa. Do you have any tips for potential MammalMAPPERS out there? Yes, upload your first 20 records in one sitting! Sit down, and upload upload upload! Work out which programs to use to make the upload process as quick and easy as possible, but once you find the right routine, it's easy! Secondly, dont worry about the photo quality or species! It's not a photographic competition, it's a research project! As long as it is identifiable, it's good to be submitted! If you have 5 mammal photos, or 50000, they are useless to science, conservation or research when sitting on a backup DVD somewhere on your shelf, or in a folder on your computer... make them count!

About Vaughan Jessnitz

Vaughan is currently working as a camp manager for a Tented Safari camp in the Greater Kruger National Park. Hes a bio-diversity enthusiast who has been involved with various conservation and research projects across South Africa, ranging from Entomological studies to large predator research. Although his background is in conservation and research, tourism has formed the ideal platform to share the wonders of the natural environment with others wishing to see nature at its best, as well as allowing the opportunity for him to spend every day in the African bush. His work allows for a two week holiday every five weeks, which he uses to further explore and record the bio-diversity of surrounding areas across South Africa, building up species lists, and recording as many different species as possible in each new locality through means of photographs either taken by himself, or via the use of Trails Cameras (Camera Traps). These records are then made freely available to whoever is in need of the data, promoting open and transparent research initiatives, where conservation and science is put first.

Our BIG FIVE mammalMAPPERS of the month

V Jessnitz P Cronje J Bolton C Jackson & co. Gary Bennetts

An impala (Aepyceros melampus) Photograph by this months runner up P Cronje

September 2013

AUGUST DATA SUMMARIES

Vol. 1 Issue 2

This pie chart indicates which animal has the most records on MammalMAP. Proving to be the Top Cat, the animal with the most overall records is the mighty leopard.

Thanks to our MammalMAPPERS, the Order Carnivora became the top mammal order by the end of last month.

September 2013

MAMMAL DISTRIBUTION MAP

Vol. 1 Issue 2

This map shows the geographical spread of ALL the mammal distribution records submitted to the database since MammalMAPs inception. Even though we are focusing on Afrotherians in South Africa this month, dont forget that we are looking for records of any and all mammals across the whole of Africa, and from both inside and outside of protected areas. Remember to submit photographs along with your mammal records if possible, as this is the only way we can verify the species IDs of the records in our database.

Putting Africas mammals on the map

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US: E-mail: mammalmap@gmail.com or visit our blog at mammalmap.blog.com Postal address: Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town