Seasonal and daily activity patterns in a Canadian population of the prairie rattlesnake, Crotalus viridus viridis

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. J. Gannon ◽  
D. M. Secoy

The seasonal and daily activity patterns of a Saskatchewan population of Crotalus viridus viridis is presented. Snakes emerged from hibernation in late April and migrated into the surrounding river valley and upland regions in early May. Adult migration preceded that of immature age-classes. Several gravid females occupied a rookery near the hibernaculum during the summer months and remained there until parturition. Females did not occupy this site in successive years and may have a biennial or greater reproductive cycle. Snakes returned to the hibernaculum in early September and remained active until early October. The behaviour of snakes in a field enclosure in response to time of day and body temperature (Tb) was recorded during the spring, summer, and fall. Significant differences in the Tb values of sunning, movement, and shading behaviours were noted. Gravid females were significantly more active in all seasons. However, no significant difference in mean Tb was found between males and females in the field, enclosure study, or laboratory thermal gradient. The observed greater level of activity may reflect the high energy demands of gravid females.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Giacomo Cremonesi ◽  
Francesco Bisi ◽  
Lorenzo Gaffi ◽  
Thet Zaw ◽  
Hla Naing ◽  
...  

The effects of human disturbance represent one of the major threats for wildlife conservation. Many studies have shown that wildlife avoids or reduces direct contact with human activities through changes in activity patterns, and by minimizing spatiotemporal overlap. In this study, we investigated the possible effects of human presence on the temporal activity of medium-to-large mammals using two areas in Myanmar that differ in the intensity of human disturbance. We monitored temporal segregation mechanisms using camera trapping data and with two statistical approaches: daily activity overlaps between humans and wildlife and circular statistics. We did not find a significant difference in overlapping activity between areas but, thanks to circular statistics, we found that some species show changes in activity patterns, suggesting temporal avoidance. We observed that the daily activity of five species differed between areas of Myanmar, likely adopting mechanisms to reduce overlap in areas highly frequented by humans. Interestingly, these species are all threatened by hunting or poaching activities, four of which have been described in literature as “cathemeral”, or species that are active through day and night. This study suggests that some species adapt their behavior, at least partially, to avoid human presence in habitats with higher anthropic occurrence and increase our knowledge on the status of medium–large mammals in a poorly studied country as Myanmar.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1682-1688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wafa Elias ◽  
Tomer Toledo ◽  
Yoram Shiftan

Author(s):  
James Bouma

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in an aerobic exercise intervention on daily activity occurring outside of the structured exercise sessions. Participants were randomized into one of the following 4 conditions: 1) No-exercise, 2) Low volume, low intensity exercise (LVLI), 3) High volume, low intensity exercise (HVLI), 4) Low volume, high intensity (LVHI). Physical activity was measured over 7 days with an accelerometer at baseline and during week 8 of the intervention. Activity was defined as: sedentary behaviour (SED; < 100 counts/minute), light physical activity (LPA; 100 to 1951 counts/minute), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; ≥1952 counts/minute), and total physical activity (TPA; LPA + MVPA). Activity was quantified as average total minutes per day of each SED, LPA, MVPA, and TPA. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine if time spent in SED, LPA, MVPA, and TPA changed from baseline to week 8. Seventy-one participants (No-exercise; n=12, LVLI n=17, HVLI n=24, LVHI; n=18,) with a mean age of 54 y and waist circumference of 110 cm completed 8 weeks of the intervention. There were no significant differences in SED, LPA, MVPA, or TPA between groups at baseline. There was no significant change in SED, LPA, MVPA, or TPA at week 8 compared to baseline (p>0.05). Similarly, there were no significant differences in activity variables between exercise conditions. Our observations suggest that daily activity patterns do not change with the implementation of an exercise intervention in men and women.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milene G Jannetti ◽  
C Loren Buck ◽  
Veronica S Valentinuzzi ◽  
Gisele A Oda

Abstract While most studies of the impacts of climate change have investigated shifts in the spatial distribution of organisms, temporal shifts in the time of activity is another important adjustment made by animals in a changing world. Due to the importance of light and temperature cycles in shaping activity patterns, studies of activity patterns of organisms that inhabit extreme environments with respect to the 24-hour cyclicity of Earth have the potential to provide important insights into the interrelationships among abiotic variables, behaviour and physiology. Our previous laboratory studies with Argentinean tuco-tucos from the Monte desert (Ctenomys aff. knighti) show that these subterranean rodents display circadian activity/rest rhythms that can be synchronized by artificial light/dark cycles. Direct observations indicate that tuco-tucos emerge mainly for foraging and for removal of soil from their burrows. Here we used bio-logging devices for individual, long-term recording of daily activity/rest (accelerometry) and time on surface (light-loggers) of six tuco-tucos maintained in outdoor semi-natural enclosures. Environmental variables were measured simultaneously. Activity bouts were detected both during day and night but 77% of the highest values happened during the daytime and 47% of them coincided with time on surface. Statistical analyses indicate time of day and temperature as the main environmental factors modulating time on surface. In this context, the total duration that these subterranean animals spent on surface was high during the winter, averaging 3 h per day and time on surface occurred when underground temperature was lowest. Finally, transport of these animals to the indoor laboratory and subsequent assessment of their activity rhythms under constant darkness revealed a switch in the timing of activity. Plasticity of activity timing is not uncommon among desert rodents and may be adaptive in changing environments, such as the desert where this species lives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 7106-7116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Evens ◽  
Céline Kowalczyk ◽  
Gabriel Norevik ◽  
Eddy Ulenaers ◽  
Batmunkh Davaasuren ◽  
...  

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2200
Author(s):  
Fructueux G. A. Houngbégnon ◽  
Daniel Cornelis ◽  
Cédric Vermeulen ◽  
Bonaventure Sonké ◽  
Stephan Ntie ◽  
...  

The duiker community in Central African rainforests includes a diversity of species that can coexist in the same area. The study of their activity patterns is needed to better understand habitat use or association between the species. Using camera traps, we studied the temporal activity patterns, and quantified for the first time the temporal overlap and spatial co-occurrence between species. Our results show that: (i) Two species are strongly diurnal: Cephalophus leucogaster, and Philantomba congica, (ii) two species are mostly diurnal: C.callipygus and C. nigrifrons, (iii) one species is strongly nocturnal: C.castaneus, (iv) and one species is mostly nocturnal: C.silvicultor. Analyses of temporal activities (for five species) identified four species pairs that highly overlapped (Δ^≥ 0.80), and six pairs that weakly overlapped (Δ^ between 0.06 and 0.35). Finally, co-occurrence tests reveal a truly random co-occurrence (plt > 0.05 and pgt > 0.05) for six species pairs, and a positive co-occurrence (pgt < 0.05) for four pairs. Positive co-occurrences are particularly noted for pairs formed by C.callipygus with the other species (except C. nigrifrons). These results are essential for a better understanding of the coexistence of duikers and the ecology of poorly known species (C. leucogaster and C. nigrifrons), and provide clarification on the activity patterns of C. silvicultor which was subject to controversy. Camera traps proved then to be a powerful tool for studying the activity patterns of free-ranging duiker populations.


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