Courtney Marneweck

• PhD
• Conservation Technology Coordinator at Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Mammals commonly communicate olfactorily via urine. However, the extent to which they communicate via dung, another waste product, is unknown. Behavioural studies suggest that mammals can obtain information from dung odours but are unclear about the information transmitted. Moreover, an understanding of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) release...

This comprehensive chapter covers various aspects of the biology and natural history of the southern white rhino Ceratotherium simum simum and northern white rhino Ceratotherium simum cottoni, including names, taxonomy, subspecies and their distribution, descriptive notes, habitat, movements and home range, activity patterns, feeding ecology, repro...

The taxonomy of giraffe (Giraffa spp.) has a long and complex history, with scientists debating merits of various classification schemes. Currently, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises giraffe as a single species (G. camelopardalis), based primarily on analyses of pelage patterns and geographic distribution carr...

Context Small carnivores are declining globally due to a complex suite of threats. Conservation of these species requires an understanding of their distributions and potential responses to future land-use and climate change. Objectives We modelled species-environment relationships of swift fox (Vulpes velox), a species of concern across their rang...

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are cooperatively breeding highly social hyper-carnivores. The basic social unit is the pack, which in its simplest form revolves around an unrelated dominant pair and their offspring. Group cohesion is central to pack social dynamics, with litters reared collectively, decisions to move made semi-democratically, an...

Division of labour, in terms of providing for offspring, in obligate cooperatively breeding mammalian species is poorly understood. To understand offspring provisioning in a cooperatively breeding canid, we analysed a long-term dataset comprising 22 African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, denning events (nine packs over nine consecutive years). We investi...

Carnivore community dynamics are governed by a complex set of often interacting biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors that are increasingly volatile as a result of global change. Understanding how these changing conditions influence carnivore communities is urgent because of the important role carnivores play within ecosystems at multiple troph...

In human-dominated and highly fragmented landscapes, keeping wildlife within reserve boundaries is vital for conservation success. In South Africa, fences are a widely employed conservation management tool for protected areas and are successful in mitigating human-wildlife conflict. However, fences are permeable, and predators are able to cross thr...

Species that respond to ecosystem change in a timely, measurable, and interpretable way can be used as sentinels of global change. Contrary to a pervasive view, we suggest that, among Carnivora, small carnivores are more appropriate sentinels than large carnivores. This reasoning is built around six key points: that, compared to large carnivores, s...

Coyotes Canis latrans have expanded their geographic range by 40% in the last 120 years, raising questions about their ecological impacts in the newly colonised areas. Despite a wealth of local knowledge on coyote diet in North America, we have little information about how and why diet might vary throughout the species' range. We conducted the firs...

Eastern spotted skunks are of conservation concern, where competition and predation are possible causes of their decline. Using camera traps at a food subsidy, we investigated nocturnal temporal overlap of spotted skunks with co-occurring predators. Spotted skunks were more active during dark nights, when their activity overlapped with the largest...

The risk of predation can alter the way animals perceive costs and benefits in their environment, on which foraging decisions are made. To maximize fitness, animals with offspring show the most pronounced alteration in behavior because mothers experience increased nutritional requirements and increased vulnerability to predation. Therefore, the tol...

Access to field experiences can increase participation of diverse groups in the environmental and natural resources (ENR) workforce. Despite a growing interest among the ENR community to attract and retain diverse students, minimal data exist on what factors undergraduate students prioritize when applying for field experiences. Using a nationwide s...

Scavenging is an important function within ecosystems where scavengers remove organic matter, reduce disease, stabilize food webs, and generally make ecosystems more resilient to environmental changes. Global change (i.e. changing climate and increasing human impact) is currently influencing scavenger communities. Thus, understanding what promotes...

Small mammalian carnivores (Carnivora <16 kg) carry out important roles in ecosystems, such as influencing ecosystem structure and providing numerous ecosystem services. Despite their importance, there are contrasting views on the required conservation and management needs for species within this group. In a review of the IUCN Red List species-leve...

Wildlife population density estimates provide information on the number of individuals in an area and influence conservation management decisions. Thus, accuracy is vital. A dominant feature in many landscapes globally is fencing, yet the implications of fence permeability on density estimation using spatial capture‐recapture modelling are seldom c...

Moon phase and variation in ambient light conditions can influence predator and prey behaviour. Nocturnal predators locate prey visually, and prey may adjust their activity to minimise their predation risk. Understanding how native mammals in Australia respond to varying phases of the moon and cloud cover (light) enhances knowledge of factors affec...

There are several hypotheses that could explain territory size in mammals, including the resource dispersion hypothesis (RDH), the intruder pressure hypothesis (IPH), and the intraguild predation hypothesis (IGPH). In this study, we tested predictions of these three hypotheses regarding territories of 19 packs of endangered African wild dogs (Lycao...

Social integration is an important factor when reintroducing group-living species, but examples of the formation of social groups before reintroduction are largely lacking. African wild dogs Lycaon pictus are endangered, and reintroductions have become a routine part of range expansion in South Africa. Wild dogs form packs that are essential to the...

Although observed in other Perrisodactyla, urine overmarking in white rhinos has not been described. Using a single opportunistic sighting, we were able to collect two dung samples from one oestrous female white rhino; one unmarked and one overmarked with male urine. Because of the behaviour of both the male and the female, we suggest that the fema...

The original version of this article unfortunately contained some mistakes.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained some mistakes.

Social integration is an important factor when reintroducing group-living species, but examples of the formation of social groups before reintroduction are largely lacking. African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are endangered, and reintroductions have become a routine part of range expansion in South Africa. Wild dogs form packs that are essential to t...

Social media discussions highlight public concern for wildlife‐vehicle collisions (WVCs) inside protected areas. Using a quasi‐experimental field trial, we investigated factors affecting the likelihood of WVCs within Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa, and assessed the comparative effectiveness of wildlife‐warning signage (WWS) for altering dr...

Many mammals enhance their olfactory signals visually by depositing them in conspicuous locations such as well-travelled paths. It is also possible to enhance the odour itself through behaviours aimed at modifying odour emission rates. White rhinos defecate in communal middens. While defecating, territorial males kick sharply with their back feet w...

White rhinos, Ceratotherium simum, use dung odours to transmit information about their sex, age, territorial status (males) and oestrous state. Moreover, as white rhinos defecate in communal middens (i.e. dung heaps, or latrines) it has been suggested that these middens may act as information centres. However, it is uncertain which individuals prim...

Division of labour, in terms of providing for offspring, in obligate cooperatively breeding mammalian species is poorly understood. To understand offspring provisioning in a cooperatively breeding canid, we analysed a long-term dataset comprising 22 African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, denning events (nine packs over nine consecutive years). We investi...

In order for an olfactory signal to be effective, it must persist in the environment for an extended period. White rhino dung odours transmit information about sex, age, territorial and oestrous states. As these odours relay important information, temporal changes in the odour emission rate and/or composition may be critical in order for other indi...

MSc thesis on white rhino olfactory communication