Animal Groups Reading Passages

Banded mongoose
The banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a mongoose commonly found in the central and

eastern parts of Africa. It lives in savannas, open forests and grasslands and feeds primarily
on beetles and millipedes.
Social behavior
Banded mongooses live in mixed-sex groups of 7–40 individuals (average
around 20). Groups sleep together at night in underground dens, often
abandoned termite mounds, and change dens frequently (every 2–3 days).
When no refuge is available and hard-pressed by predators such as wild
dogs, the group will form a compact arrangement in which they lie on each
other with heads facing outwards and upwards.
Mongooses use various types of dens for shelter including termite mounds.
While most mongoose species live solitary lives, the banded mongoose live
in colonies with a complex social structure.
Text excerpted from Wikipedia.

Swallows – Behavior and Ecology
Swallows are excellent flyers, and

use these skills to feed and attract a
mate. Some species, like
the mangrove swallow, are territorial,
whereas others are not and simply
defend their nesting site. In general,
the males select a nest site, and
then attract a female using song and
flight, and (dependent on the
species) guard their territory. The
size of the territory varies depending
Picture credit: "Riparia riparia" by Axel Strauß - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via
Commons
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g
on the species of swallow; in colonial nesting species it tends to

be small, but it may be much larger for solitary nesters. Outside of
the breeding season some species may form large flocks, and
species may also roost communally. This is thought to provide
protection from predators such as sparrowhawks. These roosts
can be enormous; one winter roosting site of barn swallows in
Nigeria attracted 1.5 million individuals. Non-social species do not
form flocks, but recently fledged chicks may remain with their
parents for a while after the breeding season. If a human being
gets too close to their territory, swallows will attack them within
the perimeter of the nest.

Ethiopian wolf (2 pages)
Southern Ethiopian wolf in the Bale

Mountains.
The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is a
canid native to the Ethiopian highlands. It
is similar to the coyote in size and build,
and is distinguished by its long and narrow
skull, and its red and white fur. Unlike most
large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the
Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialized feeder of Afroapline
rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the
world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivores.
The species' current range is limited to seven isolated mountain
ranges at altitudes of 3,000–4,500m, with the overall adult
population estimated at 360-440 individuals in 2011, more than
half of them in the Bale Mountains.
The Ethiopian wolf is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, on
account of its small numbers and fragmented range. Threats
include increasing pressure from expanding human populations,
resulting in habitat degradation through overgrazing and disease
transference from free ranging dogs.
Social and territorial behaviors
The Ethiopian wolf is a social animal, which lives in family groups
containing up to 20 individuals older than one year, though packs
of six wolves are more common. Packs are formed by dispersing
males and a few females which, with the exception of the
breeding female, are reproductively suppressed. Each pack has a
well-established hierarchy, with dominance and subordination
displays being common.
These packs live in communal territories, which encompass
6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) of land on average. In areas with little food, the
species lives in pairs, sometimes accompanied by pups, and
defends larger territories averaging 5.2 sq mi. In the absence of
disease, Ethiopian wolf territories are largely stable, but packs
can expand whenever the opportunity arises, such as when
another pack disappears. The size of each territory correlates with
the abundance of rodents, the number of wolves in a pack, and
the survival of pups. Ethiopian wolves rest together in the open at
night, and congregate for greetings and border patrols at dawn,
noon and evenings. They may shelter from rain under
overhanging rocks and behind boulders. The species never
sleeps in dens, and only uses them for nursing pups. When
patrolling their territories, Ethiopian wolves regularly scent-mark,
and interact aggressively and vocally with other packs. Such
confrontations typically end with the retreat of the smaller group.
Reproduction and development
All members of the pack contribute to protecting and feeding the
pups, with subordinate females sometimes assisting the dominant
female by feeding them. Full growth is reached at the age of two
years.

Prairie Dogs
Prairie dogs live in large colonies or "towns", and collections of

prairie dog families that can span hundreds of acres. The prairie
dog family groups are the most basic units of its society. Members
of a family group inhabit the same territory. Members of a family
group interact through oral contact or "kissing" and grooming one
another. They do not perform these behaviors with prairie dogs
from other family groups.
A pair of prairie dogs greeting each other.

A prairie dog town may contain 15–26 family groups. There may
also be subgroups within a town, called "wards", which are
separated by a physical barrier. Family groups exist within these
wards. Most prairie dog family groups are made up of one adult
male, two to three adult females and one to two male offspring
and one to two female offspring. Females remain in their natal
groups for life and are thus the source of stability in the
groups. Males leave their natal groups when they mature to find
another family group to defend and lead. Some family groups
contain more females than one male can control, so have more
than one adult male in them. Among these multiple-male groups,
some may contain males that have friendly relationships, but the
majority contain males that have largely antagonistic
relationships.

Animal Groups Reading Passages

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Banded mongoose

The banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a mongoose commonly found in the central and

Text excerpted from Wikipedia.

Swallows are excellent flyers, and

on the species of swallow; in colonial nesting species it tends to

Text excerpted from Wikipedia.

Southern Ethiopian wolf in the Bale

Text excerpted from Wikipedia.

Prairie dogs live in large colonies or "towns", and collections of

A pair of prairie dogs greeting each other.

Text excerpted from Wikipedia.

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