Determinants of Home Range Size for Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)

The mean home range size of female polar bears (Ursus maritimus; 125 100 km2 ± 11 800; n = 93) is substantially larger than the predicted value (514 km2) for a terrestrial carnivore of similar weight. To understand this difference, we correlated home range size and sea ice characteristics. Home range size was related to […]

Captivity effects on wide-ranging carnivores

Some species — ring-tailed lemurs and snow leopards, for example — apparently thrive in captivity, whereas others, such as Asian elephants and polar bears, are prone to problems that include poor health, repetitive stereotypic behaviour and breeding difficulties. Here we investigate this previously unexplained variation in captive animals’ welfare by focusing on caged carnivores, and […]

Home range and seasonal movements of Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis in the northern Namib Desert

Estimates of home range size of giraffe in the northern Namib Desert were on average larger than those in other populations. In particular, the largest individual home range of any giraffe bull (1950 km2) was recorded – correlated with low population density, reduced forage density and increased searching for receptive cows. The predominant pattern of […]

What free-ranging animals do at the zoo: a study of the behavior and habitat use of opossums (Didelphis virginiana) on the grounds of the St. Louis Zoo

Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20046.abs Studies of urban wildlife are important because they can give us insight into both how animals adapt to novel environments and how some species survive and prosper in human-dominated landscapes. Urban zoological institutions provide an ideal setting for research on such species. We report on a study of the behavior and ecology of […]

Home range size, habitat utilisation and movement patterns of suburban and farm cats

The movements of 10 house cats (4 desexed females, 5 desexed males and 1 intact male) living on the edge of a suburb adjoining grassland and forest/woodland habitat, and a neighbouring colony of seven farm cats, were examined using radio-telemetry over nine months. Nocturnal home range areas of the suburban cats varied between 0.02 and […]

Implementation and comparison of home range estimators for grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada, based on GPS data

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Social organization and dispersion of introduced kulans (Equus hemionus kulan) and Przewalski horses (Equus przewalski) in the Bukhara Reserve, Uzbekistan

Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, except for a small population in Turkmenistan. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for reintroduction and conservation of wild ungulate species. […]

Home-range size as a predictor of mating systems in Microtus

Breeding populations of Microtus pennsylvanicus and M. ochrogaster were studied for approximately 4 weeks each in central Pennsylvania and south-central Illinois, respectively. Identical radio-telemetric and live-trapping techniques were combined in each study to examine the possible causes of interspecific and intraspecific variation in range size. M. pennsylvanicus exhibited sexually diethic ranging behavior, whereas M. ochrogaster […]

Ranging behaviour of little bustard males, Tetrax tetrax, in the lekking grounds

We investigated the ranging behaviour during the breeding season of 18 radiotracked little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) males, a disperse-lekking species inhabiting the cereal pseudo-steppes. The average kernel 95% home range was 60 ± 50 ha and the average cluster 85% area was 17 ± 17 ha. Range structure was as relevant as home range size […]

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