Space allowance and the behaviour of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

Captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) often display indicators of substandard welfare, including aggression and stereotypical pacing. To determine if space availability influences the welfare of wombats, the behaviour of three groups of L. latifrons (n = 3) was studied in three different sized enclosures: small (S) (75.5 m2; the minimum space requirement for three wombats in Queensland, Australia), medium (M) (151 m2, twice the minimum space) and large (L) (224 m2, three times the minimum space) in a Latin Square design. Compared to wombats in larger enclosures, those in the small enclosure were observed to display more biting (S: 1.96; M: 0.42; L: 0.28, SED ± 0.56 counts / day, P = 0.01), retreat from conspecifics (S: 15.0; M: 9.9; L: 7.1 SED ± 2.66 counts / day, P = 0.03), and visual scanning (S: 52.8; M: 33.9; L: 28.8, SED ± 4.62 counts / day, P < 0.001); they also spent more time fenceline digging, which may represent attempts to escape (S: 0.78; M: 0.16; L: 0.24, SED ± 0.07 min / m / day, P < 0.0001). Those in the largest enclosure showed less self-directed grooming behaviour than those in the two smaller enclosures (S: 23.80; M: 24.08; L: 14.42, SED ± 3.22 counts / day, P = 0.02). It is concluded that small 2 enclosure size had a negative impact on the behaviour of wombat, and as a consequence, current 30 minimum space requirements for wombats in captivity should be reassessed

Differential responses of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) to the presence of faeces from different species and male and female conspecifics

The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) appears to use scent marking, including defaecation, for social communication in the wild. This premise assumes that the receiver wombat is able to distinguish between faeces from different sources. To examine this theory, four types of faeces (male wombat, female wombat, dingo and a plastic control) were placed into the enclosures of 12 captive wombats. Behaviour, inter-individual distance and enclosure use were recorded during the period of placement, as well as the period before and the period after. When faeces were present, the wombats used concealed locations more often than other periods (mean %: pre-treatment: 71.3, treatment: 75.6, post-treatment: 72.7; P < 0.05). During the same period they also reduced grazing (mean min/period: pre- treatment: 15.8, treatment: 6.9, post- treatment: 13.1; P = 0.0002) and walking 2 activity (mean min/period: pre- treatment: 85.2, treatment: 66.9, post- treatment: 78.2; P = 0.01), indicating an increased perception of risk. Wombats approached the dingo faeces 5.6 times per treatment period, which was greater than for the control (3.0; P = 0.004) or female wombat faeces (3.7; P = 0.049). They also avoided other wombats most when male wombat faeces were present (8.3 retreats/period) compared to the control (4.5; P = 0.02), or female wombat (4.3; P = 0.01). There was a residual effect of increased wombat avoidance the period after presentation of dingo faeces (9.6; P ≤ 0.05). It is concluded that the southern hairy-nosed wombat can differentiate between faeces from different species and sex of conspecifics, and that predator faeces and those from male conspecifics increase wombat avoidance behaviour either during or after presentation

Core-excited smoothly terminating band in 114Xe

High-spin states have been studied in neutron-deficient 54114Xe, populated through the 58Ni(58Ni,2p) fusion-evaporation reaction at 230 MeV. The Gammasphere γ-ray spectrometer has been used in conjunction with the Microball charged-particle detector in order to select evaporation residues of interest. The yrast band has been greatly extended to a tentative spin of 52hℏ and shows features consistent with smooth band termination. This band represents the first evidence for a core-excited (six-particle, two-hole) proton configuration above Z = 53

Band structures extending to very high spin in Xe126

High-spin states in Xe126 have been populated in the Se82(Ca48,4n)Xe126 reaction in two experiments, one at the VIVITRON accelerator in Strasbourg using the Euroball detector array, and a subsequent one with ATLAS at Argonne using the Gammasphere Ge-detector array. Levels and assignments made previously for Xe126 up to I=20 have been confirmed and extended. Four regular bands extending to a spin of almost I=60, which are interpreted as two pairs of signature partners with opposite parity, are identified for the first time. The α = 0 partner of each pair is connected to the lower-lying levels, whereas the two α = 1 partners remain floating. A fractional Doppler shift analysis of transitions in the strongest populated (Ï€,α)=(-,0) band provides a value of 5.20.50.4 b for the transition quadrupole moment, which can be related to a minimum in the potential-energy surface calculated by the ULTIMATE CRANKER cranked shell-model code at Îμâ‰0.35 and Îâ‰5°. The four lowest bands calculated for this minimum compare well with the two signature pairs experimentally observed over a wide spin range. A sharp upbend at â.,ω~1170 keV is interpreted as a crossing with a band involving the j15/2 neutron orbital, for which pairing correlations are expected to be totally quenched. The four long bands extend to within â5 spin units of a crossing with an yrast line defined by calculated hyperdeformed transitions and will serve as important stepping stones into the spin region beyond 60ħ for future experiments

Multistep rotational energy correlations probed by high fold γ\gamma coincidence data

The number of discrete rotational bands in the nucleus $^{168}$Yb is obtained by a fluctuation analysis of the rotational ridge structure in double and triple $\gamma$ coincidence matrices. The data are compared with cranked shell model calculations including a surface delta interaction. It is found that the number of calculated bands strongly depends on the interaction strength V$_0$, and agreement between data and calculations supports the standard value V$_0$=27.5/A MeV