Activity, range areas, and nesting patterns in the viscacha rat, Octomys mimax

Abstract

Several rodent species engage in group living, meaning that individuals share nests, resting places, and range areas. Establishing how group living varies across species is critical for comparative studies to examine the origin and the adaptive value of this behavior. Comparative approaches are more powerful when a diverse array of taxonomic groups is included. We used telemetry techniques to monitor patterns of activity, resting places, and range areas at night to examine the extent of sociality of the scarcely known viscacha rats, Octomys mimax. Seven individuals were live trapped and fitted with radio-collars. Viscacha rat activity, as measured from distance moved between consecutive telemetry scans, took place mostly during the nighttime. During day, animals used from 2 to 6 putative nest places, but one was used more frequently. The sharing of resting locations by two or more radio-collared animals was never recorded. Viscacha rats showed relatively large range areas and low-to-moderate spatial overlap with neighbors. Male rats had larger range areas than females, but spatial overlap with neighbors was similar. Results suggest that viscacha rats are solitary living animals. This study supported a solitary-to-social trend from basal to more derivate forms across Octodontidae.