Reproduction and populations structure of the Sciuridae (rodentia, mammalia)of the forest reserve of Yoko (Ubundu city, DR Congo)

The study concerns the reproduction and structure of the populations of Sciuridae from the forest reserve of Yoko and has for objectives to identify the dominant species present in this reserve, to determine and to analyze the structure of the populations of squirrels and their reproduction phonology in order to estimate the stability of this group facing the local and global changes. The animals were harvested with the help of traditional traps from May 2014 to April 2015. From the six species captured, Funisciurus anerythrus was the most abundant, followed by the Funisciuruses bayonii, Funisciurus congicus, Paraxerus boehmi, Heliosciurus rufobrachium and Protoxerus stangeri. Their activities seem to achieve themselves in the fallows except the last two species that prefer the primary forest. The reproductive activities increase toward the middle of the rainy season (September-November) with a great proportion of the gravid females from December to February, which accompanies of a massive entry of the young during the active period from June to November. The sex-ratio is in favor of the males but the difference is not significative (pu003e0.05). The middle range is of two for Funisciurus anerythrus, and one for the other. The adults are abundant; the continuous presence of the young adult and juvenile reveals a continuous reproduction and the stability of the population.