Infanticide in tree squirrels - a male reproductive strategy?

Abstract

A recent report on the killing of juveniles by an adult tree squirrel, Paraxerus cepapi, focuses attention on the adaptive nature of such behaviour. The interpretation of infant killing as a sexually selected male reproductive strategy has been favoured by many sociobiologists, despite the fact that much of the data that are needed for rigorous testing of this hypothesis are lacking. Some postulates and assumptions of the hypothesis are discussed here. Most recent systematic field studies of infanticide in rodents have been conducted on ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus). However, observations indicate that males rarely kill juveniles in this group. The lack of male - male competition over mates in the tree squirrel, as well as seasonal breeding in certain ranges of this species, lead me to conclude that infanticide does not represent a sexually selected male reproductive strategy.

S. Afr. J. Zool. 1987, 22(2)