Gonarezhou National Park Aardvark Termite Mound Foraging Data

Abstract

This dataset contains field and spatial measurements used to analyse selective foraging by aardvarks (<i>Orycteropus afer</i>) on termite mounds in Gonarezhou National Park, southeastern Zimbabwe. Data were collected from four study plots (GB2, GB3, GG3, and GG4) spanning two dominant geological substrates: basalt (GB2, GB3) and granite (GG3, GG4).For each mapped termite mound, the dataset records structural attributes (mound size and height), spatial coordinates (x, y), nearest-neighbour distance (NND), and excavation status (excavated vs non-excavated). Additional derived variables include a binary response variable for statistical modelling (excavation presence/absence), as well as cost-related metrics representing excavation cost, movement cost, and total cost used to evaluate foraging trade-offs.The dataset also includes geological classification and plot identifiers to enable hierarchical and landscape-scale comparisons of mound selection patterns across contrasting substrate types. These data support analyses of spatial point patterns, generalised linear mixed models, and randomisation tests used to evaluate whether aardvark excavation behaviour is non-random and influenced by mound structure, spatial arrangement, and geology.