Bioacoustics of Paraxerus cepapi

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Smith’s Bush Squirrels are social and live in groups composed of 1-2 adults and several juveniles. Groups nest in trees, rocky crevices, house roofs, or holes underground lined with grass and leaves. Individuals clean out and reline their nests often, which may act to reduce numbers of parasites. Social hierarchy is important within groups, particularly during feeding and interactions with conspecifics. Scent marking is important to social organization. They are highly territorial; scent marking over areas 0-3-1-3 ha in size by mouth wiping, urinating, and anal dragging. Territories are defended with vocalization, chases, and fights, except during mating season when foreign individuals are permitted to enter. Fights may occasionally result in death of the loser. Most vocalizations consist ofclick, rattle, or whistle of decreasing intensity and descending pitch and combinations thereof. When disturbed in their nests, they emit grunts and growls. Courting individuals and females communicate with “clicks,” and males give a low-pitched nasal murmur during mating. They have low-intensity alarm call ofseries of three “chir” or click sounds spaced over several seconds, which indicates alertness, warning, or aggression forterritorial defense. Their high-intensity alarm call consists of 6-7 high-pitched notes emitted at one-second intervals, and it resembles a call of a bird or whistle.

Breeding. Female Smith’s Bush Squirrels initiate mating sequence in the morning hours by emitting rattle-like calls. Males respond with their own mating calls and chase females, during which time both sexes make clicking noises and flick their tails. The male allogrooms the female while mating, and both autogroom post-copulation. Gestation is 56 days. One litter per year is common in the wild, but up to three annual litters are reported in captivity, with interbirth intervals of 60-63 days. Period of reproduction varies regionally. Females in Botswana tend to give birth during warm wet months rather than cold dry months and do not reproduce in May-September. In South Africa, they reproduce in October-January. Young are born precocious, with eyes open by day eight. Young emerge from the nest by day 19, consume solid foods by day 21, and are weaned between days 29 and 42. Subadults reach sexual maturity within 6-10 months and are evicted from the group after that. Males and females provide parental care. Males can commit infanticide to mate again more quickly.