Behavioural Ecology and Mating System Evolution in the African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) in the Guinean Forest Zone of Edo State, South South Nigeria

This dissertation provides the first detailed investigation of the behavioural ecology and mating system of the African palm civet Nandinia binotata in the Guinean forest zone of Edo State, South South Nigeria, developing an original model for the evolution of solitary carnivore mating systems under tropical forest conditions. Nandinia binotata is a basal viverrid of particular phylogenetic significance and is subject to intense hunting pressure in the South South zone, yet its behavioural ecology is virtually unknown. Sixteen individuals were fitted with GPS-GSM telemetry collars and tracked continuously for 18 months. Home range and core area analysis were conducted using KDE and dBBMM methods. Overlap patterns between same-sex and opposite-sex pairs were used to infer social and mating system structure. Reproductive timing was reconstructed from GPS-identified denning locations and direct observation of mother-young pairs. Faecal DNA was collected from scent marks to characterise kinship and population genetic structure. Home ranges averaged 3.6 km2, with exclusive female territories and large overlapping male ranges encompassing multiple female territories, consistent with a polygynous scramble competition mating system. Denning sites in hollow trees were revisited repeatedly across reproductive seasons, identifying a previously undescribed site-fidelity reproductive behaviour. Population genetic analysis confirmed low female dispersal and high male dispersal. The original Nandinia Mating System Coevolution Model (NMSCM) links these patterns to the patchy fruit resource distribution in the Guinean forest understory. Keywords: Nandinia binotata, mating system, behavioural ecology, Guinean forest, South South Nigeria.