Spatial and behavioral changes by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in response to artificial territory intrusion

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. 808-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Arnold ◽  
C.D. Soulsbury ◽  
S. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Total Activity ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Marked Area

Urine marking is thought to play a pivotal role in territory demarcation by red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)), but little is known about how individuals respond to alien scent marks, and whether there are sex-related differences in territorial defense. We radio-tracked dominant male and female urban foxes before and after synthetic fox urine was applied to approximately a third of their territories and compared spatial and behavioral reactions both before and after scent application and with foxes on territories where no urine was applied. Home-range boundaries of male foxes shifted towards the scent-marked area, but this change did not affect the total territory size. Larger males shifted their home ranges to a greater degree than small males. Scent application did not affect total activity, but males spent more time in the scent-marked area. Behaviors such as distance moved per night and speed of movement did not differ before and after application, but foxes searched a greater percentage of their home range each night following scent marking. Females showed no significant spatial or behavioral response to the synthetic scent marks. Overall, responses of foxes to synthetic scent marks were male-biased and related to changes in space use rather than movement behaviors.

Home Range and Activity Patterns of Red Foxes in Nadgee Nature Reserve.

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 677 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Phillips ◽  
PC Catling
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Wilderness Area ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Sclerophyll Forest ◽  
Male Activity

Three adult red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in a 20-km2 wilderness area of coastal south-eastern Australia were studied during pre-denning and denning. Home ranges were defined by geographic featues, but not by roads. The foxes occupied exclusive home ranges, and observations suggest that they were territorial and existed alone or, at most, in mated pairs. Home-range sizes were small (1.2-5.2 km2) compared with those in North America and Europe, but similar to those in England and Wales. During denning the female's activity became almost entirely diurnal. When not active, the vixen was with the cubs. Male activity during denning was nocturnal, but, as found for the female, inactive periods were spent near the suspected den-site in his home range. Habitats that were frequented most by all foxes were those with the highest abundance of either small or medium-sized mammals. Dry sclerophyll forest was used consistently by all foxes but heathland and the beaches were rarely frequented. Small and medium-sized mammals, which were abundant in all habitats except the beach and heathland, made up 52.6% of items in the scats.

Home ranges and movements of red foxes in central Europe: stability despite environmental changes

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 1960-1966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Steve Meia ◽  
Jean-Marc Weber
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
The Individual

Thirteen red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were radio-tracked between September 1989 and August 1993 in the Swiss Jura mountains. Home ranges of subadult and adult resident foxes did not differ and were small (seasonal estimates 0.48–3.06 km2). A nomadic adult was also monitored; it used a significantly larger area (12.71–25.90 km2). In most cases, home range sizes did not vary seasonally and were not affected by drastic changes in food availability. That foxes maintain a constant territory size is in accordance with both the "contractor" and "obstinate" strategies. The small observed sizes suggest that after the eradication of rabies, rural areas of central Europe are very good habitats for foxes. In the absence of clumped feeding patches or constraining factors (e.g., deep snow cover), the foxes moved regularly throughout their home range, typically in a "non-oriented zigzag." The distance travelled per day seemed to be affected only by home range size (positive correlation) and occasionally, according to the individual, by weather or snow cover. On average, the foxes moved 3.9–12.0 km a day. Despite its significantly larger home range, the nomadic fox did not move more than the resident foxes; the physical characteristics of red foxes probably set a limit to the distance travelled daily.

Home-Range Studies of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

1969 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest D. Ables
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Foxes

scholarly journals The Ecology of Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario: Disease Management Implications

2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Rosatte ◽  
Mike Allan
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Rabies Control

During 1989-1992, 33 Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were fitted with radio-collars in metropolitan Toronto to study their behaviour which would provide data to assist with the design of a rabies control strategy for urban areas of Ontario. Annual home range size for adult foxes (avg = 325 ha, SD = 207) was significantly larger than that of juvenile foxes (avg = 165 ha, SD = 176), but we could not detect any seasonal differences in home range size for foxes. Mean (SD) nightly ranges were 38.3 ha (48.3) in spring, 97.4 ha (115.4) in summer, 26.8 ha (28.5) in fall, and 16.3 ha (13.6) in winter. Movements by foxes during the period from June to November averaged 3.5 km (2.89). Eleven of the foxes were known to have dispersed (? 3 km from their home range), but we could not detect a mean direction of dispersal. Thirty-six percent (4/11) of the foxes dispersed in December and 18% (2/11) dispersed in August, with the remainder dispersing between February and November. Average dispersal distance was 19.3 km (15.6), and a significant negative correlation was detected between initial home range size and dispersal distance of foxes. Mortality of radio-collared foxes was caused by collisions with automobiles, predation, and shooting. Foxes made extensive use of ravines and other greenbelt areas, such as parks and golf courses. Residential areas were also used by some foxes. Knowledge of the habitats frequented by foxes as well as their movement potential assisted researchers in determining where vaccine baits should be placed for the control of rabies in Red Foxes in metropolitan Toronto.

scholarly journals Variation in home range size of red foxes Vulpes vulpes along a gradient of productivity and human landscape alteration

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. e0175291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zea Walton ◽  
Gustaf Samelius ◽  
Morten Odden ◽  
Tomas Willebrand
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Landscape Alteration ◽  
Human Landscape

Summer home range and habitat utilisation of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in a tundra habitat, northwest British Columbia

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 807-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald M. Jones ◽  
John B. Theberge
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Spermophilus Parryii ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

Eight adult red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were radio tracked during the summers of 1978 and 1979 in an alpine and subalpine environment of northwest British Columbia. The spatial distributions of small mammals (mice, voles, and shrews) and arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii) were ascertained to complement the telemetric study. Summer home ranges averaged 1611 ha (range = 277–3420 ha) and were larger than vulpine ranges in temperate environments. Significant habitat selection was evident in five of the seven home ranges that were examined. Salix shrub communities were preferred habitats, whereas, open lichen – Empetrum and fen communities were avoided. Relative densities of small mammals and arctic ground squirrels varied significantly among plant communities. Possible explanations, considering the diet of the fox and the spatial distribution of its prey, are offered to account for the observed patterns of home-range size and habitat utilisation.

Ground-Placed Baits for the Control of Wild Dogs: Evaluation of a Replacement-Baiting Strategy in North-Eastern New South Wales.

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 729 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJS Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
New South ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Abundance Indices ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Minimum Numbers ◽  
Wild Dogs

Abundance indices for wild dogs (Canis familiaris familiaris and C. familiaris dingo) were calculated from their visitation to stations containing non-toxic baits before and after a replacement-baiting programme (conducted in January-February 1993). The programme, where 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate)-impregnated baits removed by target animals were replaced each day, achieved a mean reduction of 76.1% in the index of dog abundance. The replacement-baiting strategy removed all resident animals that would accept baits and the probable reductions in the populations of dogs were greater than the reductions reported in previous studies. The indices of the abundance of sympatric red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were also reduced (90.8%) by the replacement-baiting programme. Minimum numbers of dogs and foxes using roads and tracks in the study area were estimated by index-manipulation-index methodology. The risk of this replacement-baiting programme to populations of non-target animals was insubstantial. The effects of the manipulation of canid populations on the management of populations of non-target animals are discussed.

Scent deposition by cheek rubbing in the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) in the French Alps

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2065-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Claude Bel ◽  
Christelle Porteret ◽  
Jacques Coulon
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Marmota Marmota ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Alpine Marmot

The aim of this fieldwork was to provide information about the function of scent-marking behaviour in the alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). Twenty-three identified animals were observed on their home range during the season of activity, from May to September, during which the probability and rate of cheek rubbing decreased significantly. Cheek rubbing was performed more by resident adults than by 2-year-olds or yearlings. The resident adult pairs made "marking tours" during which numerous successive bouts of scent marking occurred throughout most of the home range. Scent marks were not evenly distributed within home ranges. Principal and, if present, accessory burrow systems were saturated with scent deposits, the boundaries being marked significantly more than the central area. We tested the reactions of marmots to strange odours by presenting them with two glass tubes, one clean (control) and the other covered with marks deposited by marmots belonging to other groups. The results showed that residents tended to mark the experimental tubes more frequently, or at least more intensively, than the control ones. In the alpine marmot, cheek rubbing appears to be a multipurpose activity. It is used to advertise the occupancy of burrows and, as predicted by Gosling, scent marks were also laid down where the risk of intrusion was greatest, i.e., at the boundaries, so that intruders could detect them more readily. The results of field tests support another of Gosling's predictions, that residents will tend to overmark any mark deposited by a strange animal inside their territory. Thus, in the alpine marmot, cheek rubbing can play a role in territorial defence.

scholarly journals Foxes at your front door? Habitat selection and home range of urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halina Teresa Kobryn ◽  
Edward J. Swinhoe ◽  
Philip W. Bateman ◽  
Peter J. Adams ◽  
Jill M. Shephard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Golf Courses ◽  
Kernel Density Estimate ◽  
Significant Preference ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Close Proximity

Abstract The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most adaptable carnivorans, thriving in cities across the globe. Understanding movement patterns and habitat use by urban foxes will assist with their management to address wildlife conservation and public health concerns. Here we tracked five foxes across the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Three females had a core home range (50% kernel density estimate; KDE) averaging 37 ± 20 ha (range 22–60 ha) or a 95% KDE averaging 174 ± 130 ha (range 92–324 ha). One male had a core home range of 95 ha or a 95% KDE covering 352 ha. The other male covered an area of ~ 4 or ~ 6 times this: having a core home range of 371 ha or 95% KDE of 2,062 ha. All five foxes showed statistically significant avoidance of residential locations and significant preference for parkland. Bushland reserves, golf courses, and water reserves were especially preferred locations. Foxes moved quickest (i.e. commuting) when they were in close proximity to roads and slowest (i.e. foraging) when they were further from roads. We compare these findings with a review of the literature for urban fox home ranges. The movement patterns we describe are likely to be common for urban foxes, with half of the published home range estimates for urban foxes (principally based on VHF data) excluding data for ‘lost’ individuals or animals that showed ‘excursions’. It is likely that the home range estimates for these urban exploiters have therefore been grossly underestimated to date. Further application of GPS trackers that allow remote download will vastly improve our understanding of the space use of urban foxes.

Scent marking in coyotes

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Don Bowen ◽  
Ian McTaggart Cowan
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Jasper National Park ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Marking Behaviour

The scent marking behaviour of coyotes, Canis latrans, was studied in Jasper National Park, Alberta, during the period 1974–1976. Results show that adult males and females scent mark throughout their territory at all times of the year. Urine is most frequently used in marking. The rate of scent marking at the edge of the territory is approximately twice that in the center. This increase is accomplished by reducing the distance between scent-mark sites and increasing the proportion of multiple marks. All members contribute to the marking behaviour of the pack, although the dominant male marks most frequently. The scent marks of neighbours at territory borders are not avoided but vigourously marked. Nevertheless, it appears that marking is associated with the maintenance of territory.

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