Burrow Sharing by Colonial Tuco-Tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis)

• DOI: 10.2307/1382907
• Publication Date: 2006-07-28T06:25:09Z
• Authors: E. A. Lacey; S. H. Braude; J. R. Wieczorek
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences

Preliminary studies indicate that the recently described colonial tuco-tuco ( Ctenomys sociabilis ) is social. As part of efforts to characterize the behavioral ecology of this species, we examined patterns of use of burrows by members of a free-living population of C. sociabilis located in southern Neuquen Province, Argentina. As many as five adults (one male, four females) were captured within a single colony (spatially distinct cluster of burrow entrances). Spatial relationships among eight adults from three colonies were monitored using radiotelemetry. Each animal was active in only a single colony. Within each colony, the areas used by different adults overlapped extensively ( X ≥ 68%) and all animals shared a single nest site. Collectively, these data indicate that a colony of C. sociabilis consists of a single burrow system that may be inhabited by multiple adults. We suggest that comparative analyses of C. sociabilis and other colonial taxa (e.g., colonial African mole-rats; Bathyergidae) will significantly improve our understanding of the factors favoring sociality among subterranean rodents.