Spatial organization of the pale fox in the Termit Massif of east Niger

Abstract Pale foxes ( Vulpes pallida ) have a widespread distribution across the Saharan-Sahel in northern Africa, but little is known about their ecology and natural history. Here, we provide the 1st ecological information on the species. We captured and radio-collared 10 pale foxes in the Termit & Tin Toumma National Nature and Cultural Reserve of east Niger. The adult body mass (1.20 ± SD 0.18kg, n = 6) was about half of what was previously reported, confirming this species as one of the smallest canids in the world. Body measurements were relatively similar between sexes, suggesting little if any sexual dimorphism. Mean ± SD home range size ( n = 6) was 6.79±3.58 km 2 using 100% minimum convex polygon and 5.62±3.11 km 2 using 95% fixed kernel density estimator. Overlap between adjacent pale fox ranges was generally low (mean overlap index = 0.11±0.22), with nearly exclusive core areas (mean overlap index = 0.02±0.06), suggesting pale foxes are territorial. Overall, the spatial ecology of pale foxes showed similar characteristics to other Vulpes species, especially those inhabiting arid and semiarid environments.

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Socio-spatial organization and spatial ecology

10.1093/oso/9780198712145.003.0010 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

M.G.L. Mills ◽

M.E.J. Mills

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Scent Marking ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Large Home Range ◽

Core Areas

Home ranges of males (1204 km2) and females (1510 km2) were similar. Female home range size was positively related to the dispersion of prey and generally, but not exclusively, they displayed home range fidelity. Overlap between female home ranges was extensive, although they rarely met up. Male home ranges overlapped extensively and there was no difference in size between coalition and single males. Males overcame the problem of scent marking a large home range by concentrating scent marks in core areas. Generally female cheetah home range size is affected by resource productivity, although where prey are migratory, or in fenced reserves where movements are constricted, and areas where disturbance is severe, this may be different. Southern Kalahari males apparently need large home ranges to increase the likelihood of locating wide-ranging and sporadically receptive females. Mean dispersal distance for subadult males (96 km) was further than for females (39 km).

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Space use and movement of jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2017-0040 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 540-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Roy T. McBride ◽

Jeffrey J. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Home Range ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Density Estimator ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Core Areas ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractHome range and core area size were estimated for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km2(95% confidence interval: 425–1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km2(95% confidence interval: 90–427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range area where use was equal to expected use, was consistent across sexes and systems represented on average by the 59% home range isopleth (range: 56–64%). Males had a higher probability of larger home ranges and more directional and greater daily movements than females collectively and within systems. The large home ranges in the Dry Chaco are attributable to the relatively low productivity of that semi-arid ecosystem and high heterogeneity in resource distribution while larger than expected home ranges in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal compared to home range estimates from the Brazilian Pantanal may be due to differences in geomorphology and hydrological cycle. The large home ranges of jaguars in western Paraguay and a low proportional area of protected areas in the region demonstrate the importance of private ranchland for the long-term conservation of the species.

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Space use and territoriality in swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in northeastern Colorado

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z2012-003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 90 (3) ◽

pp. 337-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amariah A. Lebsock ◽

Christopher L. Burdett ◽

Safi K. Darden ◽

Torben Dabelsteen ◽

Michael F. Antolin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Space Use ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Spatial Overlap ◽

Vulpes Velox ◽

Shortgrass Prairie ◽

Core Areas

Space use is a fundamental characteristic that informs our knowledge of social relationships and the degree to which individuals are territorial. Until recently, relatively little was known about the spatial ecology and social organization of swift foxes ( Vulpes velox (Say, 1823)). We investigated space use of swift foxes on shortgrass prairie in northeastern Colorado. Our first objective was to evaluate sizes of seasonal and annual home ranges and core areas of 13 radio-collared swift foxes monitored continuously for 2 years. Our second objective was to compare home-range and core-area overlap of breeding pairs to that of neighboring foxes, including male–male, female–female, and nonbreeding female–male dyads. Home-range size in our study population was among the smallest previously reported for swift foxes. Males tended to have slightly larger home ranges and core areas than females, and home-range size was significantly larger in the breeding season than in both the pup-rearing and the dispersal seasons; sizes of core areas did not differ seasonally. Spatial overlap between breeding pairs was substantial, whereas spatial overlap between neighbors, particularly males, was low, suggesting territoriality.

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Space use and movement of jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay

10.1101/119412 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Roy T McBride ◽

Jeffrey J Thompson

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Density Estimator ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Core Areas ◽

Utility Distribution ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractWe estimated home range and core area size for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km2 (95% CI:425-1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km2 (95% CI:90-427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range area where use was equal to expected use, was consistent across sexes and systems represented on average by the 59% utility distribution isopleth (range:56-64%). Males had a higher probability of larger home ranges and more directional and greater daily movements than females collectively and within systems. The large home ranges in the Dry Chaco are attributable to the relatively low productivity of that semi-arid ecosystem and high heterogeneity in resource distribution while larger than expected home ranges in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal compared to home range estimates from the Brazilian Pantanal may be due to differences in geomorphology and hydrological cycle. The large home ranges of jaguars in western Paraguay and a low proportional area of protected areas in the region demonstrate the importance of private ranchland for the long-term conservation of the species.

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Home ranges of sympatric red-necked wallabies, red-bellied pademelons and common brushtail possums in a temperate eucalypt forestry environment.

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am03183 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 183 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mar K le ◽

C McArthur ◽

M Statham

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Convex Polygon ◽

Sexual Difference ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

North West ◽

Fixed Kernel ◽

Core Areas

We investigated home ranges of sympatric red-necked (or Bennett?s) wallabies Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus, red-bellied pademelons Thylogale billardierii and common brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula fuliginosus within a forestry environment in north-west Tasmania. Six indiviuals of each species were radio-tracked between 7 and 11 months. Nocturnal and diurnal data were used to estimate Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) home range, 95% fixed-Kernel (KE) home range and 50% KE core area. Home ranges (mean � s.e.) were as follows: M. r. rufogriseus MCP = 61 � 12 ha, KE = 41 � 3 ha; T. billardierii MCP = 22 � 5 ha, KE = 16 � 3 ha; and Tr. v. fuliginosus MCP = 39 � 8 ha, KE = 17 � 3 ha. M. r. rufogriseus had larger MCP home ranges than T. billardierii (P < 0.05), and larger KE home ranges and core areas than both T. billardierii and Tr. v. fuliginosus (P < 0.05), which reflected their larger body mass. Inter-sexual comparisons within the sexually dimorphic macropods showed that M. r. rufogriseus males had significantly larger MCP and KE home ranges and core areas than females (P < 0.05), and T. billardierii males tended to have a larger KE home ranges than females (P = 0.08). No inter-sexual difference in home range size was detected for Tr. v. fuliginosus.

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Home Ranges and Spatial Organization of Fishers, Martes pennanti, in Central British Columbia

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v123i2.690 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 123 (2) ◽

pp. 126 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard D. Weir ◽

Alton S. Harestad ◽

Fraser B. Corbould

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Home Range ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Martes Pennanti ◽

Utilization Distribution ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon

We described the size and spatial arrangement of aggregate and seasonal home ranges for 17 radio-tagged resident Fishers (Martes pennanti) that were >1.5 years old in two areas of central British Columbia during 1990-1993 and 1996-2000. We estimated home range size for each Fisher from the 95% isopleth of the utilization distribution generated using a fixed kernel model with smoothing selected by least-squares cross-validation (95% FK). For comparison to previous studies, we also calculated the minimum convex polygon estimate of home range size (MCP) for each animal. The aggregate home ranges (95% FK) of female Fishers (mean = 37.9 km², SD = 18.5, range = 10.5 – 81.2, n = 11) were significantly smaller than those of males (mean = 161.3 km², SD = 100.0, range = 46.0 – 225.2, n = 3; P = 0.019). We observed minor overlap among 95% FK home ranges of Fishers of the same sex, but considerable overlap among home ranges of males and females. Home ranges (95% FK or MCP) that we observed in central British Columbia were larger than those reported elsewhere in North America, particularly for males. We suggest that the distribution of resources for Fishers may occur at lower gross densitiesin central British Columbia than in other portions of the Fisher’s range and that suitable habitat in which Fishers can establish home ranges is not found uniformly across the landscape.

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Spatial organization and mating behavior of the Japanese serow under a low population density

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2019-0045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 219-226

Author(s):

Hayato Takada ◽

Keita Nakamura ◽

Haruko Watanabe ◽

Masato Minami

Keyword(s):

Mating Behavior ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Home Range Size ◽

High Density ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Agonistic Interaction ◽

Adult Males ◽

Core Areas ◽

Japanese Serow ◽

Density Population

AbstractIn high-density populations, the adults of the Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) defend their home ranges against same-sex intruders, and a male’s territory typically overlaps with those of one to three females. We examined the spatial organization and mating behavior of the species in a low-density population by direct observation and radio-tracking over a 4-year period. The home range size of both males and females was more than 4 times larger than that reported in high-density populations. Adult females had ranges that overlapped little, even though they were never observed in agonistic interaction. In contrast, adult males had ranges that overlapped largely except in their core areas, and appeared to be tolerant on encounters, suggesting they did not defend their whole range as a territory. Although males’ ranges overlapped with multiple female ranges, males were only observed following a single female during the mating season. These findings suggest that males directly defended a female rather than a territory, and that the mating system is monogamous. The Japanese serow’s social organization would therefore vary according to ecological conditions.

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Spatial ecological interactions between coyote and gray fox in a temperate forest

Therya ◽

10.12933/therya-21-1128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 553-562

Author(s):

César R. Rodríguez-Luna ◽

Jorge Servin ◽

David Valenzuela-Galván ◽

Rurik List

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Spatial Segregation ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Urocyon Cinereoargenteus ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Gray Fox ◽

Environmental Interactions ◽

Core Areas

Coyotes (Canis latrans) and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are abundant and widely distributed in México, with no information currently available about their spatial interactions in the country. Our objectives were to evaluate the habitat use of these species and the environmental interactions between them throughout the overlapping areas of their home ranges in temperate forests of Durango, México. We expected that their coexistence would be facilitated by the spatial segregation of their ecological niche, exhibited by the low or nil overlap between their home ranges or by differentiated habitat use. Radio-collars (VHF) were attached to nine individuals — four coyotes (two males and two females) and five gray foxes (females) — that were radio-tracked from September 2017 to August 2019. We estimated their home ranges and the size of their core areas through the minimum convex polygon and determined the extent of overlap between them. Also, we evaluated third-order habitat selection and use based on habitat availability using Manly’s habitat-selection ratios and simultaneous Bonferroni confidence intervals (95 %). The mean home range size for coyotes was larger (12.2 ± 1.74 km2) than for gray boxes (5.3 ± 0.67 km2); the interspecific mean overlap was 42 % (moderate). Of these two canids, just the gray fox showed a markedly selective habitat use. Our findings revealed a moderate overlap between the home ranges of both canids, so spatial segregation did not occur. Although a differential habitat use was observed, explaining the coexistence between these two canids in the areas where they thrive, they tend to avoid agonistic interactions.

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Home-range size and fidelity of two sympatric Martes species

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2017-0290 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 96 (11) ◽

pp. 1272-1277

Author(s):

J. Larroque ◽

S. Ruette ◽

J.M. Vandel ◽

S. Devillard

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Core Area ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Stone Marten ◽

Preferred Habitat ◽

Pine Martens ◽

Core Areas ◽

Management And Conservation

Determining variation in home-range behavior and the factors shaping this variation is crucial to better understand the biology of species and thus improve their management and conservation. We investigated age and sex variations in the home-range and core-area sizes, as well as fidelity to home range, of the stone marten (Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777)) and the European pine marten (Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758)) in a rural area (Bresse, France) over several seasons. As expected, pine martens had larger home ranges and core areas than stone martens. Sex differences were also evidenced in both species in accordance with the typical mustelid pattern of socio-spatial organization. Beyond these differences, we found that both species responded to seasonal changes by adjusting seasonally the locations rather than their home-range and core-area sizes, especially stone martens. This difference might come from the higher intensity of perturbation in the preferred habitat of stone martens (human buildings), which explains why stone martens showed lower fidelity than pine martens.

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Use of Space by Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in an Urban Environment in Paraguay.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-238106/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Xander Duffy ◽

Jake Wellian ◽

Rebecca L. Smith

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Group Size ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Howler Monkey ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Alouatta Caraya ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Core Areas

Abstract As urbanisation continues to reduce the available habitat for wildlife some species, such as the black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) in Pilar, southwest Paraguay, are making their homes in anthropogenic environments. Understanding an animal's home range is an important first step to understanding its ecological needs, an essential requirement for robust conservation plans. In this study we determined the home ranges and core areas of five groups of urban dwelling A. caraya using Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) Analysis. We used a Spearman’s Correlation to explore the relationship between home range size and group size. All five groups had home ranges of less than 10 ha and used core areas of less than 1ha. Group size had no significant relationship to home range size. We provide the first estimates of home range for A. caraya in an urban environment in Paraguay. Though the home ranges of the urban A. caraya in Pilar, Paraguay fall at the smaller end of the spectrum of range sizes in Alouatta they are not abnormal for a species in this genus.

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