Impact of ecological and social factors on ranging in western gorillas
We examined the influence of ecological (diet, swamp use, and rainfall) and social (intergroup interaction rate) factors on ranging behavior in one group of western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) during a 16-month study. Relative to mountain gorillas, western gorillas live in habitats with reduced herb densities, more readily available fruit (from seasonal and rare fruit […]
Sex differences in weather sensitivity can cause habitat segregation: red deer as an example
Sex differences in habitat use (habitat segregation) are widespread in sexually dimorphic ungulates. A possible cause is that males are more sensitive to weather than females, leading to sex differences in sheltering behaviour (the [`]weather sensitivity hypothesis’). However, this hypothesis has never been tested. We considered the allometric rates of net energy gain during times […]
Behavioral evaluation of exhibit modifications designed to accommodate an aged diana monkey
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430100109.abs Modifications in a zoo exhibit were made to increase the arboreality of an aged female diana monkey, and to increase her use of the central portion of the exhibit where a new food shelf had been added. Branches, which formed ramps to this shelf, also were added. Following these changes, the aged female’s […]
Quantifying Home Range Habitat Requirements for Bobcats (Lynx rufus) in Vermont, USA
We demonstrate how home range and habitat use analysis can inform landscape-scale conservation planning for the bobcat, Lynxrufus, in VermontUSA. From 2005 to 2008, we outfitted fourteen bobcats with GPS collars that collected spatially explicit locations from individuals every 4 h for 3–4 months. Kernel home range techniques were used to estimate home range size […]
The use of space by lowland gorillas in an outdoor enclosure
Four adult gorillas housed together at the Cincinnati Zoo limited their space use to particular enclosure sections. Contrary to results from a study of juvenile gorillas, there was no consistent relationship between dominance rank and the degree to which an animal limited its space use.
Individual and Sex-Based Differences in Behaviour and Ecology of Rat Snakes in Winter
Most research on the winter ecology of temperate-zone snakes is restricted to aspects of hibernation, because that is largely how snakes spend the winter. At lower latitudes, however, the same snake species may be active during winter, although why they are active and how much individuals vary in activity is unknown. We used radio-telemetry data […]
Analysing small-scale aggregation in animal visits in space and time: the ST-BBD method
Movement behaviour plays an important role in many ecological interactions. As animals move through the environment, they generate movement patterns, which are a combined result of landscape characteristics and species-specific behaviour. Measuring these ranging patterns is being facilitated by technological advances in collection methods, such as GPS collars, that are capturing movement on finer spatial […]
Diet, Activity, Habitat Use, and Ranging of Two Neighboring Groups of Food-Enhanced Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis)
We conducted observations of two neighboring groups of food-enhanced long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) over a period of one year. We examined their diet, behavior, habitat use, and ranging and how within-population variability reflected differential utilization of anthropogenic food resources. The group that consumed more anthropogenic food spent less time feeding on wild fruits and flowers, […]
Activity patterns and fine-scale resource partitioning in the gregarious Kihansi spray toad Nectophrynoides asperginis in captivity
Understanding the behavior of species threatened with extinction is important for conservation planning and for solving problems facing species in captivity and the wild. We examined diurnal activity budgets and habitat use of the extinct in the wild Kihansi spray toad to provide insights into ongoing conservation initiatives for this species. Observations on eight target […]