Abstract

SAENZ, Joel C.  and  VAUGHAN, Christopher. Ambito de hogar y utilización de hábitat de dos grupos de venados Cola Blanca Odocoileus virginianus (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) reubicados en un ambiente tropical. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 1998, vol.46, n.4, pp.1185-1197. ISSN 0034-7744.

Eight white-tailed deer were released in La Emilia farm, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, during November 1987 and March 1988. Four females were from an insular population (San Lucas Island, ISL) and had been raised in captivity up to 9 months of age when they were liberated. The remaining four were adults, three females and one male from Palo Verde National Park (PV). All deer were marked with radio telemetry collars and followed for a 13-month period. The four deer from ISL were also observed directly for 8 months. The home range and habitat use of each group was determined and compared. The average daily home range was 18.3 ha for the ISL group and 18.4 ha for the PV group; the differences between these values were not significant (Analysis of Variance, ANOVA, P .05). The home ranges of the two groups were not significantly different between seasons; however the ISL group did show a significant difference between the two seasons (ANOVA, P< .05). The ISL group used eight habitat types of the 14 available, while the PV group utilized 11 habitat types; differences were found in the habitat preferences between the two groups (X² P< .001). Habitat utilization was significantly different between the two groups in both the dry season and the wet season (X², P< .001). The most utilized habitats (confidence intervals of Bonferroni) of the ISL group were grazing land, forest plantations (Pithecelobium saman), cultivated land (sorghum and fruits), and riparian vegetation. The PV group used habitats with certain forest cover, chaparral, jaraguales and guacimales (Guazuma ulmifolia).

Keywords : White-tailed deer; Odocoileus virginianus; radiotelemetry; home range; habitat utilization; translocation,; Costa Rica.