Seasonal movements, home ranges, and territoriality of male swamp rabbits in southeastern Arkansas
2010
Vale, Karen B. | Kissell, Robert E.
Swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) are of conservation concern throughout portions of its range, and information regarding spatial organization is important for proper species management. Little is known about spacing patterns of swamp rabbits; few studies have directly investigated spatial patterns, particularly related to territoriality. We used radio-telemetry to assess seasonal (dormant, growth, and senescent) home range sizes, seasonal and monthly movements, and territoriality among male swamp rabbits. Mean seasonal home range sizes ranged from 3.8 to 8.4 ha using the 95% fixed kernel density estimator and no differences among seasons were observed. Swamp rabbits moved less during the senescent season than the growth season. Mean seasonal dyad overlap ranged from 7.5 to 13.8%, and no differences were found among seasons. Overlap of all male radio-collared swamp rabbits ranged from 16.7 to 29.8% across seasons. Male swamp rabbits demonstrated non-territoriality during two of the three seasons based on spatial overlap of core use areas. Home range size might not be the best indicator of habitat quality for male swamp rabbits and management efforts aimed at habitat restoration or reintroduction should consider that some swamp rabbits could require more area, even on sites considered to be high quality.
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