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Abstract(!
The! study! of! Laonastes( aenigmamus( (focusing! on! its! distributions,! natural!
characteristics!and!threats!to!the!species)!was!conducted!from!the!central!to!the!north!of!Laos!
in!6!provinces!including!Savannakhet,!Khammouane,!Bolikhamxai,!Vientiane,!Luangprabang!and!
Xiengkhoang! from! the!beginning!of! 2009! to! early! 2010.! The! findings! have! indicated! that! the!
animals! occurred! within! 5! districts! of! Khammouane! Province! (Hinboun,! Thakek,! Mahaxai,!
Ngommalath,!and!Boualapha!Districts).!!
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Their!habitats!are!varied!from!small!to!large!limestone!cliffs!with!rugged!stones!forming!
small!and!large!holes!and!caves.!Vegetations!around!the!habitat!are!varied!of!different!species!
of!big!trees,!shrubs!and!herbal!plants!scattered!along!limestone!karsts!with!the!elevation!of!at!
least!300!meters!above!sea!level.!!
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The! species! distribution! covers! the! area! of! 4,130! Km2! approximately.! Their! natural!
characteristics!were!studied!in!Pou!KouanMeut!site!(Ban!Dang,!Mahaxai!District,!Khammouane!
Province)! with! the! sampling! area! of! 1! ha! in! size.! In! dry! season! the! study! showed! that! the!
average!density!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(was!2.66!individual/ha;!with!the!lowest!and!highest!density!of!1.58!and!3.74!individual/ha!respectively.!In!general,!females!are!larger!than!males!in!
size! (P<5).! Adults! can! feed! on! a! variety! of! plant! species.! The! breeding! season! of! Laonastes(aenigmamus!starts!from!October!to!February.!An!adult!female!can!produce!offspring!between!
1[3!individuals!per!time!in!a!year.!!
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On!the!other!hand,! local!hunting! is! the!primary! threat! to!Laonastes(aenigmamus.(The!main! hunters,! in! particular! experienced! men,! are! the! local! tribes! called! Lao! Loum! and! Lao!
Thueng! that! reside! near! or! adjacent! to! Laonastes( aenigmamus( habitats.! Hunting! season! of!Laonastes(aenigmamus( is!taken!place!for!4!months!in!a!year.!Local!hunters!take!walking!trails!
to!access!the!species!habitats!with!their!hunting!gear!called!‘Louang’!or!bamboo!snares.!Locals!
practice!hunting!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus!either!for!subsistence!or!trade.!!
Recently,! there! have! been! signs! and! billboards! posted! in! many! community! areas! in!
order! to! raise! public! awareness! on! the! Laonastes( aenigmamus( status! as! the! species! is!categorized!as!a!Protected!Species!in!the!Aquatic!and!Wildlife!Law!of!Laos.!These!days,!human!
disturbance,!habitat!degradation!as!well!as!hunting!have!been!potentially!increasing!and!these!
will!threaten!the!species!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(critically!in!the!future.!!!!
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IV.((Results((
The! results! from! the! studies! of! Laonastes( aenigmamus! distribution,! habitats,! natural!characteristics!and!threats!from!2009!to!2010!are!summarized!as!follows.!
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1. (Distribution(of(Laonastes(aenigmamus((The! study! of! species! distribution! was! conducted! within! 6! provinces! of! Savannakhet,!
Khammouane,! Bolikhamxai,! Vientiane,! Luangprabang! and! Xiengkoang.! The! interview! was!
carried! out! in! 67! villages! covering! 71! localities.! From! the! interview,! it! was! found! that! the!
species!occurred!in!42!out!of!71!localities,!and!these!sites!were!located!in!5!istricts!of!Hinboun,!
Thakek,! Mahaxai,! Gnommalath,! and! Boualapha! in! Khammouane! Province.! The! distribution!
covered! an! area! of! approximately! 4,130! km2.! Laonastes( aenigmamus(was! distributed! in! the!
areas!of!limestone!karsts!and!some!were!found!to!exist!in!Annamite!Ranges!around!the!areas!of!
steep!mountainous!forests!and!flatter!foothills!surrounded!by!agricultural!land!(Figure!13).!With!
the!rest!of!5!provinces!(Savannakhet,!Bolikhamxai,!Vientiane,!Luangprabang,!and!Xiengkoang),!
there!was!no!evidence!indicated!the!presence!of!species!reported!by!the!locals!(appendix!5).!!
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Figure(13!Sampling!locations!and!Laonastes(aenigmamus(distribution!!
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From! figure! 13,! it! can! be! seen! that! Laonastes( aenigmamus( distribution! or! habitat! covers!Hinboun! National! Protected! Area! and! Pou! Nokkok! Protection! Area.! These! two! areas! are!
dominant! by! steep! rocky! mountains! where! people! cultivate! their! crops! in! the! surrounding!
foothills.!At!the!same!time,!along!with!local!reports!the!investigation!reviewed!the!absence!of!
Laonastes( aenigmamus( in! the! north! of!Hin!Nam!No!NPA,!west! of!Nakai[Namtheun!NPA! and!
south!of!Nam!Kading!NPA.!From!this!it!could!be!assumed!that!Laonastes(aenigmamus(is!widely!distributed!throughout!the!rocky!forests!(see!figure!14!and!15!).!
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Figure(14! Comparison!between!Laonastes(aenigmamus(distribution!with!other!areas!!
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Figure(15(Comparison!between!Laonastes(aenigmamus(distribution!with!NPA!areas!(((2.((((Habitat(characteristics(!
Laonastes( aenigmamus( largely! live! in! the! habitats! of! low! limestone! mountains! with!
various!heights!ranging!from!263!m!ASL!to!734!m.!Different!areas!of! limestone!have!different!
types!of!forests!surrounded!for!instance!dry!evergreen,!deciduous!or!low!dense!shrubs!with!low!
canopy.!Within!those!areas,!there!are!quite!many!special!plant!species,!especially!those!groups!
of!medical! herbs/plants,! palm! trees! and! hardwoods.! The! species! habitats! are! dominated! by!
limestone!boulders!with!an!abundance!of!calcium.!In!the!limestone!areas!of!Annamite!Ranges!
the! climate! is! highly! monsoon[like! with! warm! humidity.! In! dry! season! the! temperature! is!
between!20.2[34!Celsius!degrees.!The!slopes!are!quite!steep!between!40%
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Figure(16(A! habitat!features!! Figure(16(B! Caves!and!holes!the!species!inhabits!
Table(1:!Overview!of(Laonastes(aenigmamus!habitat!characteristics!from!study!sites!
Province! District! Site! Habitat! ! ! Forest!
! ! ! Elev! SI! T! !
! ! ! (m)! (%)! (C)! !
! Hin!Boun! Pou!Ban!
Thonglom!
263! 47! 20.2! DE/LF!
Khammouane! ! Pou!Ban!
Homphanh!!
328! 40! 31.1! LF!
! Thakek! Pou!Ban!
Doi!
578! 45! 32.4! M/LF!
! ! Pou!Ban!
Phalem!
532! 63! 38! LF!
! Mahaxai! Pou!Ban!
Man!
432! 52! 30! DE/LF!
! ! Pou!Ban!
Xong!
680! 55! 34! LF!
! Nhommalath! Pou!Ban!
Phonxang!
457! 42! 28! LF!
! ! Pou!Ban!
Kuanphanh!
352! 41! 30! M/LF!
! Boualapha! Pou!Ban!
Napeng!
512! 59! 32! DE/LF!
! ! Pou!Ban!
Xok!
734! 73! 29! LF!
Remarks:!LF!–!Limestone!forest;!DE!–!Dry!Evergreen;!M[!Mixed!Deciduous;!Elev!–!Elevation;!Sl!–!
slope;!T!–!Temperature.!
3.!!!!!Natural(Characteristics(of(Laonastes(aenigmamus(
The! study! of! Laonastes( aenigmamus( natural! characteristics! was! conducted! on! the!seasonal!basis!to!collect!baseline!data!of!the!species.!
3.1((((Estimate(of(population(
Pou!Kouane!Meut!located!in!the!area!of!Ban!Dang!(Mahaxai!District)!was!selected!as!a!
study!site!to!estimate!Laonastes(aenigmamus(population.!The!coordinates!of!this!site!were!17°!24’! 10.7”! N! and! 105°! 16’! 23.1”! E! with! the! elevation! of! 245! m! above! sea! level.! The! size! of!
sampling!area!is!1000!meters!long!and!10!meters!wide!(see!figure!17).!
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Figure(17! Survey!points! for! the!study!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus!natural!characteristics!at!Pou!Kouane!Meut!(Mahaxai!District)!
The!study!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(population!was!initially! implemented!at!the!beginning!of!
dry!season!in!late!March!2009!and!the!temperature!at!the!time!was!high.!The!first!8!captured!
individuals!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(were!marked!by!removing!or!cutting!some!hairs!on!the!
middle! back! of! the! body.! And! at! the! end! of! raining! season! second! capture! of! the! species!
(recapture)!was!employed;!one!out!of!three!was!recaptured!(a!marked!individual!from!the!first!
capture).!The!study!applied!the!calculation!formula!of!Lincold!Petersen!to!estimating!the!total!
number!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(population! (no!gender!distinction).!R(was! representing! re[marked!individual!as!presented!in!table!2.!
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Table(2! ! Laonastes(aenigmamus(population!estimated!within!the!sampling!site!of!
1!ha!
Description! Not!biased!by!sex!<10!
!
Number!of!animals!caught!marked!and!released!at!the!first!time!(C)!
Total!number!of!animals!caught!at!the!second!time!(R)!
Number!of!marked!animals!caught!at!the!second!time!(M)!
Estimated!population!size!(N)!
Standard!Error!of!population!size!
Minimum!estimated!population!(Pmin)!
Maximum!estimated!population!(Pmax)!
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8!
3!
1!
2.66/ha!
1.08!
1.58/ha!
3.74/ha!
Laonastes(aenigmamus(population! size!estimated!not!biased!by! sex! (R<10)!was!2.66/ha!with!
minimum! and! maximum! estimated! population! size! of! 1.58! individuals/ha,! and! 3.74!
individuals/ha!respectively.!
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3.2(((Morphological(analysis(
All!captured!animals!were!measured!to!record!the!data!on!body!length,!tail!length,!body!
weight,!ear!length,!and!the!length!of!hind!feet.!Given!that,!average!measurements!of!male!size!
were!24.4±0.6!cm,!15.1±0.7!cm,!350.7±0.23!g,!2.8±0.3!cm,!and!4.1±0.2!cm!respectively,!while!
average!measurements!for!females!were!25.5±0.10!cm,!16.2±0.12!cm,!451.4±0.30!g,!3.1±0.10!
cm,!and!4.3±0.13!cm!respectively.!From!the!measurements!it!is!quite!obvious!that!females!are!
larger!and!heavier!than!males!with!the!probability!at!P<0.5.!(See!table!3)!
(
Table(3.!Laonastes(aenigmamus(average!body!size!
Description! Sex! Amount! Mean! SE!
Body!length!(cm)!
Male!
Female!
2!
6!
24.4!
25.7!
0.6!
0.10!
Tail!length!(cm)!
Male!
Female!
2!
6!
15.1!
16.2!
0.7!
0.9!
Body!weight!(g)!
Male!
Female!
2!
6!
350.7!
451.4!
0.23!
0.25!
Ear!length!(cm)!
Male!
Female!
2!
6!
2.2!
2.6!
0.3!
0.1!
Hind!foot!length!(cm)!!
Male!
Female!
2!
6!
4.1!
4.3!
0.2!
0.3!
Remark:!Each!single!values!in!the!Mean!column!has!the!confidence!level!of!P<0.5.!SE!stands!for!
Standard!Error.!
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3.3(Sex(discrimination((
Adult!females!may!be!larger!than!adult!males!in!size.!However,!this!is!also!dependant!on!
ages! and! food! intake! each! individual! consumes.! Therefore,! size! is! not! always! an! optimum!
indicator! for! sex! discrimination.! Another! significant! indicator! to! distinguish! between! sexes! is!
identifying! sexual! organ! (figure! 18! A!&B).!Males! have! two! testicles! and! a! penis! in! between,!
while!females!will!have!a!pair!of!breasts!under!and!between!the!front!legs.!These!features!are!
more!visible!in!the!reproduction!season.!
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Figure(18(A!:!!Male!reproductive!organ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Figure(18(B!:!Female!breasts!
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3.4( Other(rodent(species(found(in(the(sampling(sites(
The! study! of! other! rodents! relatively! sharing! similarity! of! habitats! with! Laonastes(eanigma!was!carried!out!at!the!same!period!of!time!inside!the!same!sampling!plots.!Live!traps!
were!used!to! investigate!the!presence!of!those!relative!rodents.! In!the!plots,!there!were!four!
species! of! rodents! found( Niviventer( langbianis! was! highly! present! in! the! area! with! 19!individuals!caught! (59.37%),! then!Laonastes(aenigmamus(of!8! individuals! (25%),!Leopoldamys(sabanus( of! 3! individuals! (9.37%)! and! Tupaia( belangen( of! 2! individuals! (6.25%)! respectively.!Niviventer(langbianis,!Laonastes(aenigmamus(and!Leopoldamys(sabanus(were!caught!at!night,!while!Tupaia(belangen(was!found!and!caught!in!the!day!time!(Table!4).(
Table(4:!Rodent!species!found!in!the!sampling!areas!
Species(Number(
of(individual(
Percentage((%)(
Time(found(
Habitat(
Niviventer(langbianis(
L.aenigmamus(
Leopoldamys(sabanus(
Tupaia(belangen((
19!
8!
3!
2!
59.37%!
25%!
9.37%!
6.35%!
N!
N!
N!
D!
LF!
LF!
DE/LF!
DE/LF!
A( B(
Remark:!N!stands!for!Night!Time;!D!stands!for!Day!Time;!DE!stands!for!Dry!Evergreen;!and!LF!
stands!for!Limestone!Forest.!
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3.5(Nutrition(
The! study!of! Laotian! rock! rat!nutrition! reviewed! that! there!were!many! types!of!plant!
bitten!the!areas!where!rodents!inhabited.!These!plants!included!herbs,!stand!shrubs!and!other!
small!plants!growing!between!rock!cliffs!or!the!surface!of!rock!and!limestone!karsts!(figure!19!
A&B! ).! Leaves! of! twenty! two! plant! species! were! found! partially! bitten,! while! ten! species! of!
plants!were!found!to!be!eaten!on!the!stems,!and!one!plant!species!was!eaten!on!the!roots.!All!
plants!found!in!the!areas!and!assumingly!used!by!Laotian!rock!rat!were!all!together!25!species!
of! 17! families! and! there!were!14!more! species!of! plant! that! could!not! yet!be! identified! (see!
table!5).!By!observing!the!features!of!plants!bitten,! it!could!be!assumed!that!Laotian!rock!rat!
could!forage!on!a!wide!range!of!plants;!and!their!behavior!mostly!was!to!collect!fallen!leaves!on!
the!ground!or!in!the!cracks!of!rocks!for!food.!
Table(5:!Flora!or!plants!found!to!be!used!by!Laotian!rock!rat!
Family Species Local name Part of plant used by Laotian
rock rat Leave Stem Root
Palmae
Palmae
Palmae
Palmae
Zingiberaceae
Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
Araceae
Araceae
Araceae
Moraceae
Caryota Sp. 1
Caryota Sp. 2
Rhapis Sp.
Anenga sp.
Costus speciosus
Dendrobium sp.
Liparis sp.
Rhaphidophora peepla
Aglaonema simplex
Scindapsus annamicus
Streblus taxoides
Tao Hang
Tao Hang
Saan
Moraceae
Symplocaceae
Diptherocapaceae
Pandanaceae
Gesneriaceae
Urticaceae
Euphobiaceae
Dracaenaceae
Sapindaceae
Dioscoreaceae
Cactaceae
Rhamnaceae
Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
Amorphophallus sp.
Symplocos cochichinensis
Shorea hypochra
Pandanus sp.
Didynocarpus sp.
Elatostema sp.
Sauropus sp.
Dracaena elliptic
Pomentia pinnata
Dioscorea sp.
Cereus sp.
Ziziphus sp.
Psycotria malayana
Paederia tometosa
17 25 22 10 1
Remark:!SP(stands!for!insufficient!data!or!species!unknown!
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Figure(19(A!:!Plant!leaves!partially!gnawed!!!!!!!!!Figure(19(B!:!Plant!stems!partially!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!gnawed/bitte!
3.6(Reproduction(
Laotian! rock! rat! is! a! small! mammal.! Males! and! females! are! distinguished! by!
reproductive!organs.!As!a!mammal,!offspring!is!developed!in!the!womb!of!females.!Laotian!rock!
rat!has!a!comprehensive!reproductive!season.!Their!reproductive!period!starts!from!the!end!of!
raining! season! to! the! beginning! of! dry! season;! however,! their! breeding! success! would! also!
primarily!depend!on!an!abundance!of!food!source!and!protected!habitats.!On!the!other!hand,!
regular! monitoring! domesticated! Laotian! rock! rat! and! interviewing! local! villagers,! some!
comparisons!about!the!species!reproduction!characteristics!have!been!reviewed!as!follows.!!!
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3.6.1(Monitoring(domesticated(Laotian(rock(rat(
From!the!continuous!observation!on!domesticated!Laotian!rock!rat!behavior!during! its!
breeding!season,!it!could!be!seen!that!Laotian!rock!rat!did!not!reproduce!in!the!day!time.!Given!
this,! the! species!might! reproduce! in! the!night! time.!The! result! from!December!monitoring! in!
2010! showed! that! the! domesticated! female! Laotian! rock! rat! had! abnormal! behaviors! by!
consuming!less!and!reflecting!to!be!inactive!and!lonesome.!From!the!external!appearance,!the!
animal!had!a!tense!enlarged!stomach!and!swollen!breasts.!It!was!obvious!that!the!animal!was!in!
a!parturient!period;! therefore! it! could!be!presumed! that!breeding!season! for! Laotian!Laotian!
rock! rat! might! be! between! September! and! November.! The! observation! also! found! that! the!
animal!produced!only!one!offspring!during!3rd!–!5
th!February!2010!(figure!20).!!
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Figure(20!:!Domesticated!Laotian!rock!rat!feeding!a!new!born!offspring!
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3.6.2((Interviewing(Local(villager(
From! local! interviews! with! 40! villagers! and! hunters,! it! was! reported! that! breeding!
season!of!Laotian!rock!rat!was!likely!to!be!from!November!to!January!in!dry!season!when!local!
hunting! was! taken! place.! Within! the! period! there! were! several! times! that! villagers! found!
Laotian!rock!rat!babies!inside!the!stomach!of!female!Laotian!rock!rat!when!villagers!slaughter!
the! animals! for! food.! Regarding! local! experience,! it! was! reported! that! every! single! female!
Laotian! rock! rat! would! produce! offspring! only! one! time! a! year.! The! detection! frequency! of!
offspring! based! on! number! of! offspring! produced!was! 31! times! (77.5%)! for! one! offspring;! 7!
times!(17.5%)!for!two!offspring,!and!2!times!(5%)!for!three!offspring,!respectively!(figure!21).!!!!
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Figure(21!:!Frequency!percentage!detecting!offspring!
One offspring 77.5 %
Two offsring
17.5 %
Three offspring
5.0 %
4.((Threats(to(Laotian(rock(rat:(Hunting(and(habitat(disturbance(
4.1(((Hunting(
Laonastes(aenigmamus! has!been! threatened!by!hunting! from!especially! local! villagers!
that!live!adjacent!to!its!habitats.!Local!Lao!Loum!and!Lao!Thueng!people!have!been!hunting!the!
species!for!a!long!period!of!time.!These!days,!there!have!been!a!number!of!factors!influencing!
an!increase!in!hunting!of!the!Laotian!rock!rat!as!follows.!
4.1.1(((Hunters(
Men! are! the! primary! actors! hunting! the! Laotian! rock! rat.! Mostly! hunting! is! one!
traditional!livelihood!practice!that!local!people!inherit!from!their!ancestors.!Men!aged!from!15[
25!are!likely!to!practice!less!hunting!at!about!10%,!while!men!between!26[35!and!36[55!of!age!
tend!to!practice!more!hunting!on!the!species!at!an!equivalent! level!of!45%!(see!table!6).!The!
difference! of! hunting! proportion! would! be! probably! due! to! people! at! different! ages! have!
different!level!of!familiarity!and!experience!of!hunting!the!Laotian!rock!rat.!
(
(
Table(6:(!Laotian!rock!rat!hunters!grouped!by!age!
Age((#(of(hunters(interviewed(
Hunters(Percentage((%)(
Male( Female(15[25!
26[35!
36[55!
40!
4!
18!
18!
0!
0!
0!
10%!
45%!
45%!
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(
(
(
(
(
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4.1.2(((Hunting(seasons(
The!study!of!local!hunting!among!villagers!living!adjacent!to!the!habitats!of!Laotian!rock!
rat!was! indicated! that! hunting! season!was! taken! place!mostly! at! the! end! of! rainy! season! in!
which!villagers!just!finish!their!crop!harvest!until!at!the!beginning!of!dry!season!when!climate!is!
colder!and!when!deciduous!trees!start!to!lose!all!their!leaves.!In!early!October!which!is!the!start!
of!hunting!season,!hunting!at!this!period!is!considered!low!at!5%.!In!the!middle!of!November!
hunting!is!increased!to!50%,!while!the!highest!hunting!period!is!between!early!December!and!
early!February!of!the!year!(100%).!Then!hunting!is!gone!down!to!60%!in!March.!It!was!reported!
that! villagers!do!not!hunt! Laotian! rock! rat!during!April! to! September!due! to! this! period! is! in!
rainy!season!when!animals!spend!limited!time!foraging!for!food.!
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(
(
Figure(22:!Diagram!showing!local!hunting!of!Laotian!rock!rat!on!monthly!basis!
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!
100% 100%
50%
5%
0%
97%
60%
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Janu
ary
Februa
ryMarc
hApri
lMay
June Ju
lyAug
ust
Septem
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Octobe
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Novem
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Decem
ber
4.1.3(((Hunting(distance(
Local! villagers! use!walking! trails! as! an! access! to! the! habitats! of! Laotian! rock! rat.! The!
study!results!showed!that!17%!of!people!walked!the!distance!of!1!Km!to!search!for!the!animals,!
while!over!23%!of!villagers!walked!the!distance!of!2!Km;!and!the!largest!percentage!of!villagers!
at!43%!walked!the!distance!of!3!Km;!when!only!17%!of!hunters!would!walk!4!Km!to!seek!for!
Laotian!rock!rat.! It!could!be!seen!that!most!villagers! tend!to!use!3!Km!of!walking!distance!to!
find!Laotian!rock!rats,!this!could!be!due!to!the!areas!from!that!particular!distance!are!far!away!
where!there!is!high!density!of!Laotian!rock!rat!and!low!human!disturbance.!On!the!other!hand,!
the!distance!at!4!Km!might!be!a!bit!too!far!to!walk!a!round!trip!within!a!day.!
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!
Figure(23:!!Walking!distance!of!Laotian!rock!rat!hunting!
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17%
23%
43%
17%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
1 Km 2 Km 3 Km > 4 Km
Distance
4.1.4(((Hunting(methods(
Local! villagers! living! adjacent! to! Laonastes( aenigmamus! habitats! have! used! quite! a!number! of! hunting! gears! to! catch! Laonastes( aenigmamus.! Snares! are! highly! used! at! 85%,!crossbows!at!only!6%,!and!guns!at!9%.!However,!dogs!were!not! found! to!be!used!as!part!of!
hunting!method!(figure!24).!Snares!are!highly!used!among!the!communities,!this!could!probably!
due!to!snares!are!easy!to!produce!and!use,!also!effective!as!they!could!hunt!animals!in!a!large!
quantity! at!once! (see!appendix!3! for! types!of! snare).! In! comparison,!dogs!are!not!preferable!
because! the! rugged! terrains!and! steep!karts!of!Laonastes(aenigmamus(habitats!do!not!allow!dogs!to!wander!easily.!
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!
Figure(24:!!Usage!percentage!of!hunting!gears!
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85%
6% 9%
0%0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Snares Crossbows Guns Dogs
4.1.5((OffZtake(of(hunted(animals(
It! was! reported! that! at! 53%! of! chance! villagers! can! hunt! 3! individuals! of! Laonastes(aenigmamus! per! catch.! To! get! to! 3[5! individuals,! 6[10! individuals,! and! >10! per! catch! effort!would! result! in! different! levels! of! chance! at! 27%,! 11%!and!09%! respectively! (figure!25).! This!
could!be!possibly!due!to!the!difficulties!of!limited!access!to!get!to!places!where!there!might!be!
high!density!of!Laonastes(aenigmamusI,(and!animals!might!have! learned!to!avoid!using!areas!
where!human!disturbance!is!obviously!high.!!!
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!
!
!
(
(
Figure(25:(!Percentage!of!individuals!hunted!per!time!
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!
53%
27%
11% -9%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
< 3individuals
3 Π---5individuals
6-- Œ10individuals
> 10individuals
4.1.6((Utilizations(of(Laotian(rock(rat(
Based!on!the!investigation!about!local!utilizations!of!Laotian!rock!rat,! it!was!indicated!that!
local! villagers! commonly!have!used!Laotian! rock! rat! for!household! subsistence! (57%),! small! trade!
for!extra!income!(41%),!and!decorative!pet!(2%).!However,!there!have!been!no!reports!on!medical!
use!of! the! species! (figure!26).! It! is! assumed! that! local! villagers!prefer! consuming!Laotian! rock! rat!
meat!due! to! the!bitter! taste! inside! its! bladder! and! intestines;! and! it! is! also!believed! that! Laotian!
rock! rat! is! tastier! than!other! rodent! species.!On! the!other! hand,! after! the! rediscovery!of! Laotian!
rock!rat!has!been!published,!people!from!towns!have!become!more!interested!in!seeing!and!tasting!
the!rock!rat,!this!has!resulted!in!greater!hunting!pressures!on!the!species!recently.!
!
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!
!
!
!
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!
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!
!(
Figure(26:!!Utilizations!of!Laotian!rock!rat!
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!
0%2%
41%
57%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Food Sell Pet Medicinal
4.2(Habitat(Disturbance(
Disturbance!like!habitat!loss!would!be!one!threat!that!has!been!causing!a!rapid!decrease!
of!Laonastes(aenigmamus.(The!study!has!found!that!both!habitat!disturbance!and!habitat!loss!are!human!activities!directly!and!indirectly!as!follow.!
!
4.2.1(Logging(
Timber!extraction!could!be!accounted!as!a!direct!threat!for!wildlife!habitat!loss!as!well!
as! Laonastes( aenigmamus.! The! results! from! mountain! investigation! around! Limestone!
Mountains! in! 6! districts! of! Khammouane! Province! show! that! there! are! a! number! of! active!
logging!areas!both!legal!and!illegal.!A!number!of!logs!having!been!cut!are!large!trees!with!high!
economic!values!and!some!trees!even!have!high!conservation!value.!With!the!loss!of!large!and!
small!trees,!and!other!plants!that!are!food!source!for!many!species!of!wildlife,!pressures!on!soil!
degradation!could!be!severe!(figure!27).!On!the!other!hand,! it!has!been!found!that!plants!for!
example!Chandaeng,!Pak!Koud!Pha!and!many!species!of!orchids!have!been!harvested!for!sale!in!
a!large!amount!and!this!can!be!harmful!to!Laotian!Laotian!rock!rat!in!terms!of!habitat!loss!and!
might!be!destroying!the!habitat!of!Laotian!rock!rat!sooner!or!later.!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Figure(27:!Log!transportation!and!log!field!from!limestone!forests!in!Hinboun!District!
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!
!
4.2.2(Limestone(extraction(
An!explosion!of! limestone!rocks!for!cement!processing!factory,!export!to!Vietnam!and!
other! aggregate! processing! factories! has! been! one! direct! threat! of! habitat! fragmentation! to!
Laotian!Laotian!rock!rat.!Limestone!has!been!extracted!for!many!hundreds!of!cubic!meters!to!
supply!the!domestic!material!demands!for!the!construction!of!roads!and!buildings.!This!threat!
might!be!affecting!the!species!in!terms!of!habitat!loss!in!the!future.!
!
!
!
Figure(28:!Limestone!extraction!for!cement!processing!factory!and!aggregate!processing!factory!
in!Mahaxai!District!
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!
!
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!
!
!
4.2.3(Forest(fire(
Another!cause!of!habitat!loss!to!the!species!is!forest!fire.!The!results!showed!that!quite!
a! number! of! limestone! foothill! areas! in! Mahaxai! and! Ggommalath! Districts! were! used! for!
agricultural! burns! by! locals.! With! low! attention! on! controlling! the! slash! and! burn! activities,!
there!have!been!some!occasions!that!fires!could!destroy!the!habitats!(boulder!caves!and!holes)!
of! Laotian!Laotian! rock! rat!and! in! some!cases! the! fire! could!also!cause!deaths!of! the!Laotian!
rock!rat!as!well.!
!
Figure(29:!!Agricultural!burn!during!dry!season!in!Mahaxai!District!
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!
!
5.(Conservation(
Although!the!Laotian!rock!rat!is!listed!as!the!category!I!protected!species!in!Aquatic!and!
Wildlife! Law! of! the! Lao! PDR,! threats! to! Laotian! Laotian! rock! rat! have! been! increasing!
continuously! these!days!due! to!higher!demands!on!consumptions!and! trades,!habitat! loss!by!
agricultural! land! expansion,! the! establishment! of! cement! processing! factories,! road! and!
hydropower! dam! constructions.! While,! Provincial! Agriculture! and! Forestry! Office! of!
Khammouane! Province! has! established! regulations! and! strategies! to! protect! the! species;!
practical!implementations!and!communications!of!those!regulations!on!the!other!hand!are!not!
complied! rigorously,! hence! local! understanding! and! involvement! to! protect! or! conserve! the!
Laotian!Laotian!rock!rat!is!quite!low.!Awareness!raising!on!the!species!importance!via!the!use!of!
posters!and!billboards!could!possibly!support!sustainable!conservation!of!Laotian!Laotian!rock!
rat.!!!
!
!
! !
!
!
!
!
!!!
Figure(30:!Laotian!rock!rat!conservation!outreach!sign!posted!in!the!community!area!
V( Discussions(
5.1( Distribution(of(Laotian(rock(rat(
From!the!previous!study,!it!was!found!that!rodent!species!in!the!family!of!Diatomyidae!
from!the!period!of!Miocene!(about!11!mya)!has!been!extinct!from!the!region!of!South!East!Asia!
where!they!used!to!exist.!After!the!discovery!of!Laotian!Laotian!rock!rat,!the!species!has!been!
studied! and! reclassified! in! the! family! of! Diatomyidae! as! a! suborder! of! Hystricomorpha.! ! The!
distribution!of! rodents! in! this! family! formerly!occurred! in!Pakistan,! India,!Thailand,!China!and!
Japan.!Based!on!distribution!studies!of!the!species,!the!results!indicated!that!Lao!Laotian!rock!
rat! tends! to!have!a!strict!distribution!confined! to! limestone!boulders!within! the!5!districts!of!
Hinboun,!Thakek,!Mahaxai,!Gnommalath,!and!Boualapha!of!Khammouane!Province;!whilst! its!
distribution!range!did!not!cover!other!sampling!plots!in!other!provinces!including!Savannakhet!
(Vilabouly! District),! Bolikhamxai! (Pak! Kading! and! Khamkeuth! Districts),! Vientiane! (Vangvieng!
and! Xaisomboun! Districts),! Xiengkhoang! (Pek! District),! and! the! others.! This!might! be! due! to!
natural! forests! in! those! provinces! comprise! less! diversity! of! herbs! or! have! different! rock!
formation!from!Khammouane!karst!limestone.!
Besides!rugged!karsts!and!abundant!caves,!there!might!probably!be!some!other!habitat!
features!of!Laotian!rock!rat,!making!them!found!only!in!some!particular!caves!and!holes.!Their!
distribution! identified!has! covers! some!of!mountainous! limestone! that! is!partly! connected! to!
Annamite!Range,!as!assumption!the!home!range!of!the!species!might!be!larger!than!what!it!has!
been!currently!identified!(figure!12).!It!has!been!assumed!that!Laotian!rock!rat!might!have!their!
distribution! on! the! east! of! the! Annamites! and! inside! Hin! Nam! No! National! Protected! Area!
where! Laotian! rock! rat! biological! investigations! have! not! been! taken.! Based! on! the!
investigation,!the!distribution!of!the!species!is!spreading!as!only!one!long!strip!along!limestone!
karsts;! given! this,! it! could! be! possible! that! Laotian! rock! rat! are! not! prevalent! in! the! area! of!
neighboring!country!as! its!distribution!range!is!not!connected!to!the!border!between!the!two!
countries.!As!mentioned!earlier,!Laotian!rock!rat! inhabits! in!the! limestone!area!where!people!
settling!along!the!mounts,!therefore!the!species!has!been!threatened!by!hunting!every!year!in!
hunting! season.! Moreover,! some! parts! of! its! habitats! have! now! been! under! pressures! of!
limestone!exploitations!to!cement!factory,!road!construction,!electricity!transmission!lines!and!
logging.!
Laotian!rock!rat!belonging!to!Laonastidae!family,!recently!called!Kha!Nyou,!are!naturally!
found!only! in! caves! and!holes!of! limestone!karsts! (Jenkins!2005).!On! the!other!hand,! rodent!
fossil!discovered!in!Thailand!is!Fallomus(ladakbensis! inhabiting!in!rocky!mountains!of!the!Melong!
Hydropower! reservoir! (Nanda!&! Sahni! 1998);!while! L.!aenigmamus( (Laotian! rock! rat)! has!quite!similar! habitats! with! other! relative! rodents! in! the! same! family,! however! its! characteristic!
features!of! habitat! are!particularly! strict! to! limestone!boulders!with!diverse! rock! sizes,! rocky!
forest!areas!with!small! trees,! limited!elevation!between!200!and!700!meters!above!sea! level,!
and!temperature!between!19!and!40!degree!Celsius.!All!of!which!are!dependent!on!the!richness!
and! abundance! of! flora! species! played! as! primary! food! sources! for! Laotian! rock! rat,! the!
complexity!of!rock! layers!and!boulders!where!the!species!can!use!as!a!hiding!shelter! in!caves!
and!holes.!Due!to!these!unique!habitat!features,!the!distribution!of!Laotian!rock!rat!is!relatively!
limited! to! limestone! karsts! from! Hinboun! District! down! to! the! fringe! of! Boulapha! District,!
Khammouan!Province.!
5.2( Natural(characteristics(of(Laotian(rock(rat(
The! estimation! of! Laotian! rock! rat! population! from! all! sampling! plots! (1! ha! each)! as!
shown!in!the!map!(figure!14)!revealed!that!without!sex!discrimination,!an!estimated!population!
size!of!the!species!is!about!2.66!individuals/ha,!while!minimum!and!maximum!population!sizes!
are! 1.58! and! 3.74! individuals/ha! respectively! (see! table! 2).! The! investigation!was! able! to! be!
conducted! only! two! times! during! the! dry! season,! therefore,! the! estimate! resulted! in! small!
population!size!with!low!population!density.!One!other!aspect,!due!to!the!survey!was!taken!in!
the! breeding! season! of! the! species,! thus! females! were! found! more! compared! to! males.!
According! to! the! report! of! Jenkins! and! Timmins! (2005),! it! was! said! that! body! length! of! L.(aenigmamus( is!about!26!cm!and!tail!about!14cm;!however,!this!study!found!that!weight,!and!
length!of!body!and!tail!of!male!Laotian!rock!rat!are!lower!and!smaller!than!females.!The!female!
greatest! body! length! measured! is! up! to! 25.7! cm,! and! the! tail! is! shorter! (see! table! 3).! L.(aenigmamus(belongs!to!medium[size!rodent!family.!
!
Primary!food!of!Laotian!rock!rat!comprises!a!variety!of!plant!species!and!families!mainly!
Palmae,!Orchi,!Daceae,!Araceae,!Moraceae!and!others,! all! of!which!are!believed! to!have! the!
most!diverse!species!richness.!Still,! it!has!also!been!expected!that!there!might!be!more!plant!
species! used! by! Laotian! rock! rat! as! surveys! were! taken! only! in! some! locations! of! species!
distribution!range.!L.(aenigmamus(can!freely!move!along!limestone!hillsides!and!cliffs!and!they!
can!strongly!pull!or!bite!plants!growing!on!the!ground!better!than!foraging!on!trees.!
!
Monitoring! on! reproductive! season! of! domesticated! Laotian! rock! rat! during! the!
beginning!period!of!2009!showed!that!the!animals!did!not!breed!in!the!day!time.!In!contrast,!it!
could! be! expected! that! they! might! breed! during! the! night! time! because! in! December! the!
female!Laotian!rock!rat!was!pregnant,!and!then!gave!birth!to!one!offspring!in!February.!Hence,!
their! breeding! season! could! possibly! take! place! during! September! to! February.! Besides,!
regarding! local! experience,! it! was! reported! that! every! single! female! Laotian! rock! rat! would!
produce!offspring!only!one!time!a!year.!The!detection!frequency!of!offspring!based!on!number!
of!offspring!produced!was!31!times!(77.5%)!for!one!offspring;!7!times!(17.5%)!for!two!offspring,!
and!2!times!(5%)!for!three!offspring,!respectively.!Given!this,!it!can!be!noted!that!the!data!from!
both!monitoring!on!domesticated!animal! and! local! interview! report!were!not! corresponding;!
this!could!be!due!to!the! investigation!relied!on!one!domesticated!animal!particularly,!while! it!
could!have!been!done!with!more!individuals!to!compare!the!difference!and!conclusion!for!the!
species!breeding!season.!
All! rodent!species! found! in!sampling!sites!are!classified!as! ‘gnawing’! rodents! including!
Niviventer( langbianis,! Laonastes( aenigmamus,! Leopoldamys( sabanus( and! Tupaia( belangen.!Niviventer(langbianis,!Laonastes(aenigmamus(and!Leopoldamys(sabanus(were!caught!at!night,!while!Tupaia(belangen(was!found!and!caught!in!the!day!time.!It!was!expected!that!some!other!
animal! species! sharing! the! same!habitats!with! Laotian! rock! rat!might!exist! in! those! sampling!
sites!but!were!not!discovered!while!the!study!was!taken!place.!As!a!result,!the!study!could!not!
reveal!the!presence!of!all!animal!species. 5.3((Threat(of(hunting(
Local!hunting!is!the!main!threat!to!Laotian!rock!rat!reproduction.!Local!people!hunt!the!
species! for! seasonal! subsistence.! However,! due! to! an! increase! in! human! population! settling!
adjacent! to! habitats! of! Laotian! rock! rat,! insufficient! meat! supply,! and! limited! livelihood!
opportunities!besides!agricultural!production,!the!number!of!Laotian!rock!rat!hunted!might!be!
higher!today!if!compared!to!this!study.!On!the!other!hand,!hunting!gears!have!been!developed;!
hence! hunting! methods! will! also! change! in! terms! of! future! demand.! From! the! study,! local!
hunters!normally!prefer! to! go!hunting!within! the!distance!of! 3! km.! In! the!next! future,!when!
population!density!of!the!species!is!altered,!it!could!be!certain!that!hunters!would!take!longer!
distance!to!find!the!animal.!Recently,!it!can!be!seen!that!the!trade!of!Laotian!rock!rat!has!been!
increased.! The! animal! is! traded! illegally! for! decorative! pets! ordered! by! tourists! from!
neighboring!countries.!The!study!revealed!that!there!has!been!an!increase!in!domestic!trade!of!
Laotian!rock!rat!for!food!consumption!by!both!local!and!people!from!other!places.!Given!this,!if!
the! demand! for! wild! meat! of! Laotian! rock! rat! is! critically! increased,! overharvesting! of! the!
animals!will!be! inevitable.!Overharvesting! is! likely! to! influence!a!rapid!decrease! in!population!
number!as!Laotian!rock!rat!is!a!low!reproductive!species.!
!
5.4((Habitat(disturbance(
Habitat! disturbance! and! habitat! loss! caused! by! illegal! and! legal! logging,! limestone!
exploitation! for! cement! industrial! factory,! forest! fire! from! slash! and! burn! activities! were!
occurred!and!recorded!within!the!sampling!sites.!Similarly,!these!threats!might!not!be!different!
in!the!areas!outside!the!sampling!sites.!On!the!other!hand,!there!has!been!no!report!on!human!
and! Laotian! rock! rat! conflicts! (agricultural! production! damage! by! the! animal)! in! the! area.! In!
some!cases,!there!would!possibly!be!some!conflicts!between!Laotian!rock!rat!and!other!wildlife!
even!the!study!did!not!pay!in[depth!attention!regarding!this!topic.!
(
5.5((((Conservation(
Laonastes( aenigmamus! are! under! pressure! from! diverse! threats! for! example! wildlife!
trade,!habitat!loss!by!road!construction,!transmission!lines,!logging,!limestone!quarry,!and!fire.!
Although!the!species!is!recognized!as!category!I!species!in!Aquatic!and!Wildlife!Law!of!the!Lao!
PDR,! in!practice,! the! information!has!not!yet!been!disseminated! in!all! local! communities!and!
the! enforcement! of! the! related! legislations! is! implemented! rigorously! according! to! the! law.!
With! an! initial! effort! of! the! government! in! Laonastes( aenigmamus! conservation! along! with!legislation! enforcement! requirement,! Provincial! Agriculture! and! Forestry! Office! in!
Khammouane! Province! has! created! signboards! posted! along! the! main! roads,! markets,! and!
tourist! sites! to! disseminate! and! raise! awareness! of! species! importance! among! government!
officials,!local!communities!and!tourists.!This!would!ultimately!support!sustainable!conservation!
of!the!species.!Apart!from!legislation!and!awareness!raising,!local!livelihood!improvement!and!
increased! occupational! opportunities! should! also! be! considered! in! order! to! help! support!
sufficient! food! supply! for! local! people! who! have! lived! near! the! habitats! of! Laonastes(aenigmamus.!!
(
!
!
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