Home Range and Movements of Feral Cats on Mauna Kea, Hawai?i

Feral cats Felis catus in dry subalpine woodland of Mauna Kea, Hawai?i, live in low density and exhibit some of the largest reported home ranges in the literature. While 95% fixed kernel home range estimates for three females averaged 772 ha, four males averaged 1 418 ha, and one male maintained a home range of 2 050 ha. Mean daily movement rates between sexes overlapped widely and did not differ significantly (P = 0.083). Log-transformed 95% kernel home ranges for males were significantly larger than those of females (P = 0.024), but 25% kernel home ranges for females were larger than those of males (P = 0.017). Moreover, log-transformed home ranges of males were also significantly larger than those of females in this and seven other studies from the Pacific region (P = 0.044). Feral cats present a major threat to endangered Hawaiian birds, but knowledge of their ecology can be used for management by optimizing trap spacing and creating buffer zones around conservation areas.

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Feral Cats (Felis Catus L.) On New Zealand Farmland. Ii. Seasonal Activity.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9920707 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 707 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

NPE Langham

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Home Range ◽

Social Behaviour ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Adult Males ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Resident Population

The activity patterns of a resident population of 15 feral cats (Felis catus L.) on New Zealand farmland were investigated from March 1984 until February 1987 by radiotelemetry. Females could be divided into two separate groups: (1) those denning in barns and (2) those denning in the swamp and willows. Females denning in barns were mainly nocturnal except in spring and summer when rearing kittens. Barn cats moved significantly further between dusk and dawn, except in autumn-winter, than those denning in swamp and willows which were active over 24 h. When not breeding, related females occupied the same barn. In both groups, the home range of female relatives overlapped. Males ranged over all habitats, and dominant adult males moved significantly further and had larger home ranges than other males in all seasons, except in summer when they rested, avoiding hot summer days. Only adult males were active during the day in spring and autumn-winter. The importance of a Zeitgeber in synchronising cat activity with that of the prey is examined. The significance of female den site is discussed in relation to proximity of food, predators, social behaviour and male defence.

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Feral Cats (Felis Catus L.) On New Zealand Farmland. I. Home Range.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9910741 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 741 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

NPE Langham ◽

RER Porter

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Home Range ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Average Density ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Dominant Male ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Adult Males ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Consistent Change

The movements of a population of feral cats (Felis catus) were monitored on New Zealand farmland over three years by means of radiotelemetry. The number of resident males on the 5.2-km2 study area varied from 5 to 9, averaging 1.34 per km2, compared with 10-13 females, averaging 2.19 per km2. The average density over three years was 3.47 cats per km2. The nocturnal home range was significantly larger than the diurnal home range in both sexes. Adult female's home ranges overlapped considerably; adult males tended to occupy exclusive home ranges or territories with little overlap, but including those of several females. Adult males and females that used barns as den sites were mainly nocturnal and had larger home ranges than females denning in vegetation. Females showed no consistent change in home-range size with season, although those breeding in barns had larger home ranges in summer. Adult males had larger territories in summer and winter. Dispersing subadult males had a similar home range to adult males. Death or disappearance of a dominant male allcwed new males to occupy the vacated territory. Two subadults were tracked by day until they became adult and acquired territories within the study area.

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Movement patterns of feral predators in an arid environment – implications for control through poison baiting

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr08098 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 422 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

K. E. Moseby ◽

J. Stott ◽

H. Crisp

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Poison Baiting ◽

Specific Variation

Control of introduced predators is critical to both protection and successful reintroduction of threatened prey species. Efficiency of control is improved if it takes into account habitat use, home range and the activity patterns of the predator. These characteristics were studied in feral cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in arid South Australia, and results are used to suggest improvements in control methods. In addition, mortality and movement patterns of cats before and after a poison-baiting event were compared. Thirteen cats and four foxes were successfully fitted with GPS data-logger radio-collars and tracked 4-hourly for several months. High intra-specific variation in cat home-range size was recorded, with 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) home ranges varying from 0.5 km2 to 132 km2. Cat home-range size was not significantly different from that of foxes, nor was there a significant difference related to sex or age. Cats preferred habitat types that support thicker vegetation cover, including creeklines and sand dunes, whereas foxes preferred sand dunes. Cats used temporary focal points (areas used intensively over short time periods and then vacated) for periods of up to 2 weeks and continually moved throughout their home range. Aerial baiting at a density of 10 baits per km2 was ineffective for cats because similar high mortality rates were recorded for cats in both baited and unbaited areas. Mortality was highest in young male cats. Long-range movements of up to 45 km in 2 days were recorded in male feral cats and movement into the baited zone occurred within 2 days of baiting. Movement patterns of radio-collared animals and inferred bait detection distances were used to suggest optimum baiting densities of ~30 baits per km2 for feral cats and 5 per km2 for foxes. Feral cats exhibited much higher intra-specific variation in activity patterns and home-range size than did foxes, rendering them a potentially difficult species to control by a single method. Control of cats and foxes in arid Australia should target habitats with thick vegetation cover and aerial baiting should ideally occur over areas of several thousand square kilometres because of large home ranges and long-range movements increasing the chance of fast reinvasion. The use of temporary focal points suggested that it may take several days or even weeks for a cat to encounter a fixed trap site within their home range, whereas foxes should encounter them more quickly as they move further each day although they have a similar home-range size. Because of high intra-specific variability in activity patterns and home-range size, control of feral cats in inland Australia may be best achieved through a combination of control techniques.

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Movements of Subadult Male Grizzly Bears, Ursus arctos, in the Central Canadian Arctic

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v118i2.920 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 118 (2) ◽

pp. 239 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Robert J. Gau ◽

Philip D. McLoughlin ◽

Ray Case ◽

H. Dean Cluff ◽

Robert Mulders ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Long Range ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Grizzly Bears ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Adult Males ◽

Subadult Male ◽

Daily Movement

Between May 1995 and June 1999, we equipped eight subadult male (3-5 yrs old) Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) with satellite radio-collars within a study area of 235,000 km2, centred 400 km northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Subadult male annual home ranges were extraordinarily large (average = 11,407 km2, SE = 3849) due, in part, to their movement's occasional linear directionality. We believe their long-range linear movements may reflect some individuals tracking the migration of Caribou (Rangifer tarandus). Seasonal daily movement patterns were similar to adult males that were previously reported. The areas used by these bears are the largest ranges reported for any Grizzly Bears and the scale of their movements may put individual bears in contact with humans even when developments are hundreds of kilometres from the central home range of an animal.

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Home range and diet of feral cats in Hawaii forests

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc000229 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 229 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ty D. Smucker ◽

Gerald D. Lindsey ◽

Stephen M. Mosher

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Kernel Method ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Regular Component ◽

Ecological Data ◽

Feral Cat ◽

Adaptive Kernel ◽

Adult Cats

Feral cat Felis catus home range in a Hawaiian montane wet forest and their diet in three habitats - montane wet forest, subalpine dry forest, and lowland dry forest ? were determined to provide baseline ecological data and to assess potential impacts to native terrestrial fauna. Seven cats (three males and four females) were captured in 624 trap nights. Mean weight of adult cats was 2.85 � 0.27 (SE) kg for males and 1.87 � 0.03 kg for females. Mean diurnal home range using the adaptive kernel method was 5.74 � 2.73 km2 for three males and 2.23 � 0.44 km2 for two females. Daytime locations were always within the montane wet forest with the borders on one or more sides of the home ranges of all cats defined by open grassland pastures. Rodents comprised the majority of the cat diets in all three habitats, with the frequencies of occurrence between 0.88 and 0.91. Bird remains were a regular component of the diet of cats, with montane wet forest having the highest frequency of occurrence (0.68), followed by subalpine dry forest (0.53). and lowland dry forest (0.21).

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Spatial-use patterns, movements, and interactions among adult coyotes in central Mississippi

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z00-154 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (12) ◽

pp. 2087-2095 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Michael J Chamberlain ◽

Charles D Lovell ◽

Bruce D Leopold

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Core Area ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Adult Males ◽

Movement Rates ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Pair Bonds ◽

Northern Regions ◽

Range Overlap

Recently, coyotes (Canis latrans) have expanded their range to include most areas of the southeastern United States. However, most research on coyotes has been conducted in western and northern regions of North America. We radio-monitored 38 adult coyotes from 1993 to 1997 in central Mississippi. Home-range sizes (P = 0.681) and core-area (area of concentrated use) sizes (P = 0.736) were similar across seasons, but females maintained larger home ranges (P = 0.006) and core areas (P < 0.001) than males. Male-male, female-female, and male-female home-range overlap was greatest during whelping and pup rearing. Except for mated pairs, core-area overlap was negligible across all seasons for adults maintaining neighboring home ranges. Coyote habitat selection varied across spatial scales, though selection was similar between males and females at all scales. Coyote movement rates differed (P < 0.001) temporally, being highest during nocturnal periods. Overall, the highest movement rates for the monitored population were observed for females during summer. Two males and 2 females were suspected of forming pair bonds and frequently traveled together within shared home ranges, as did 2 adult males. Our data indicate that interactions among individual adults are influenced by sex, as most confirmed instances of direct contact occurred between pairs or suspected social groups. In our study area, neighboring adult coyotes exhibited territoriality at the core-area level.

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Analysis of the Summer Season Home Range of Domestic Feral Cats (Felis catus) - Focused on the Surroundings of Rural and Suburban Areas

Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity ◽

10.7229/jkn.2013.6.3.391 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 391-396 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Oun-Kyong Moon ◽

Han-soo Lee ◽

In-kyu Kim ◽

Tae-han Kang ◽

Hae-jin Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Summer Season ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Suburban Areas

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Spatial Organisation of Urban Feral Cats (Felis Catus) in Jerusalem.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9950299 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 299 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

V Mirmovitch

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Adult Males ◽

Mating Season ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Spatial Organisation ◽

Similar Frequency ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Young Males

Feral cats were studied for 10 months in a residential area in Jerusalem and their spatial distribution compared during two 1-month periods, the first in the autumn prior to the mating season and the second during the mating season (winter). Cat locations were recorded by direct observations, and home-range sizes were calculated with the minimum convex polygon method. No significant change in home-range size of adult males or females was found between the 2 periods. Young males expanded their home ranges considerably during their first mating season. Home ranges of males were significantly larger than those of females in both periods (0.56 and 0.30 ha, respectively, in autumn; 0.75 and 0.27 ha in winter). The home ranges of both sexes overlapped considerably with individuals of the same sex. Overlap among home ranges of females indicated a group pattern. High overlap (80%) was found among females that fed from the same set of garbage bins with similar frequency. Lower overlap (20%) was found between individual females that shared only a subset of their food resources and used it with different frequency. It is suggested that the distribution of food patches (garbage bins), the amount of food available and the rate of food renewal determined the cats' spatial organisation.

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