Search

The information \ud on the ecology of most forest dwelling, terrestrial mammals is sparse, \ud often anecdotal, widely scattered in the literature, and supported by very \ud few long-term studies. This chapter focuses on ungulates—a group of \ud medium to large-sized terrestrial mammals, which includes elephants, \ud odd-toed hoofed mammals (such as rhinos and tapirs), and even-toed \ud hoofed mammals (such as cattle and antelopes). These mammals are: —Important sources of subsistence animal protein for many peoples \ud —Central to the wild meat (bushmeat) trade in many parts of the world \ud —A source of opportunity for forest ecotourism \ud —Integral parts of forest ecosystem processes (e.g., seed dispersal) \ud —Major determinants of forest vegetation structure and composition