The culpeo fox is the largest native canid in Patagonia. The majority of past studies on culpeo foxes have focused on trophic ecology, population dynamics, natural history, competitive interactions, management, and habitat use. Little work has been done on determining activity patterns of the fox and thus, conclusions regarding culpeo fox activity patterns have been based on limited data. The objective of our study was to determine culpeo fox activity patterns in a protected area (Lanín National Park, Argentina) using “camera-traps” to test the hypothesis that the culpeo fox is still nocturnal in non-hunting areas. Data were collected from October 2008 through May 2009 at 29 infrared triggered camera stations. We obtained 1,261 culpeo fox photos of which 234 were used for analyses. Diet was studied from 34 culpeo fox scats. Culpeo foxes were most active during nighttime (>70% of the records) confirming the general patterns obtained in other studies. Additionally, examination of culpeo fox scats revealed that they mostly preyed on nocturnal small mammals. The present study offers evidence against the widespread assumption that nocturnal activity of this species is a behavioral response to human harassment, as it was conducted in a protected area where culpeo foxes are not hunted. Instead, their nocturnal behavior may be related to prey activity patterns.

To prevent damage to houses, we investigated the particular size and shape of gap that 12 masked palm civets (six subadults and six adults weighing 2.2–3.4 kg) could enter. After the animals were humanely killed, we measured the body parts of civets and compared those of animals that could and could not enter the gaps. The minimum sizes for different shapes of gaps that masked palm civets could enter were the H6 × W20 cm horizontally long rectangle, H20 × W6 cm vertically long rectangle, 8 cm square, and 9 cm diameter circle. There were no significant differences in most body parts sizes between individuals that went through the minimum-size rectangular gaps and individuals that did not. In contrast, differences in the sizes of body parts affected the minimum sizes of square and circular gaps that they entered. The minimum sizes of square and circular gaps that they entered could be predicted by the regression line of their body weight (square: y = 0.98x 5.75, r² = 0.76, P < 0.01, circle: y = 0.93x 6.84, r² = 0.72, P < 0.01).

Distributions of the lesser Japanese mole (Mogera imaizumii) and the larger Japanese mole (Mogera wogura) were researched in the Kanazawa Plain of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, from 2001 to 2002, based on the different diameters of their tunnels. M. imaizumii and M. wogura were found at 63 and 65 different sites, respectively. M. imaizumii is excluded from most areas colonized by M. wogura, but the two species were found together in the Tedori Alluvial Fan. At this location, the tunnels of M. imaizumii were found in areas with harder soil at a depth of 0–20 cm, whereas those of M. wogura were found in areas with softer soil at the same depth. This is the first observed case of a mixed distribution of these two species of Japanese moles on a plain in a large geomorphological structure, such as an alluvial fan. This phenomenon may be attributable to the sediment characteristics in an alluvial fan, where various sediments with different diameters, from crude stone to fine clay, are distributed in a complex mosaic pattern.

Forty lesser Japanese moles (Mogera imaizumii) were trapped on Kinkazan Island, which is a small island (959 ha) located 1 km off Honshu in northern Japan. Of these, 36 moles (90%) showed some degree of partial albinism of the fur, ranging from only small tufts of cream-colored hairs on their basal forefoot to multiple large interconnected patches spread around the whole body. Most tufts, spots and patches were cream-colored, but some tufts and spots on the lower abdomen were light brown. This coloration is attributable to staining by a secretion from skin glands that are distributed ventrally, with a higher density in the lower abdomen. The high frequency of partial albinism may be attributable to a lack of predators in this insular ecosystem or to low genetic diversity in the population, although it is difficult to know which of these two is more important.