Density and cover preferences of Black-and-rufous elephant-shrews (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania

The objective of this study was to determine the density and habitat preference of the Black-andrufous elephant-shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) in Chome Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Chome Forest (143km2) is located in the South Pare Mountains and provides critical habitat for endangered R. petersi. Twelve 300m transects were cut through the centre of the forest in an east-west direction and the number of elephant-shrew nests within 2.5 meters on each side of the transects was recorded. The mean number of nests per 100m transect (0.39 ± 0.47 [1SE]) translated to a density estimate of 19 elephant-shrews per km2 (SE=23). Nest sites tended to be found in areas with greater than expected cover at the low (<5m) levels. These results indicate the population density of R. petersi is lower in the Chome Forest Reserve than in most populations in the Eastern Arc Mountains. The reasons for this difference and the conservation implications are discussed.