Home-range use, activity, and density of caracal in relation to prey density

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dc.contributor.authorAvenant N.L.
dc.contributor.authorNel J.A.J.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T16:04:51Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T16:04:51Z
dc.date.issued1998
dc.description.abstractTwo male and three female caracal Felis caracal were radio-tracked over a 1-year period in arid shrub on the west coast of South Africa, by day and night over at least 130 days for each caracal, and uninterrupted for up to 120 h at a time. These results, on short-term use of space, were related to concurrent availability of prey. The use by caracal of specific plant communities showed a significant positive correlation to prey biomass of rodents. Males had much larger home-ranges (26.9 ± 0.75 km2) than females (7.39 ± 1.68 km2). Male home-ranges overlapped completely with those of females, whereas female ranges overlapped between 0 and 19%. Caracal were active by night and day; onset of activity was affected more by ambient temperature (T(A)) than photoperiod. Caracal were active significantly longer on nights colder than 20°C. Females ceased activity at T(A) > 20°C, males at T(A) > 22°C. Males foraged faster than females (667 vs. 312m h-1) and moved more than twice the distance of females during an active period. Calculated density of caracal was between 0.23 and 0.47 km-2.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationAfrican Journal of Ecology
dc.identifier.citation36
dc.identifier.citation4
dc.identifier.issn1416707
dc.identifier.other10.1046/j.1365-2028.1998.00152.x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/12860
dc.subjectactivity pattern
dc.subjectcarnivore
dc.subjecthabitat use
dc.subjecthome range
dc.subjectpopulation density
dc.subjectpredator-prey interaction
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subjectFelis caracal
dc.titleHome-range use, activity, and density of caracal in relation to prey density
dc.typeArticle
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