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Vigilance behavior in lactating female Alpine ibex

1999; NRC Research Press; Volume: 77; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1139/z99-081

1480-3283

Carole Toïgo,

Animal Behavior and Reproduction

We compared time budgets of lactating females with those of nonbreeding females, yearlings, and adult males in a French Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) population. We tested whether lactating females spent as much time as other sex-age classes feeding, moving, resting, and being vigilant. Females with young at heel fed and moved as much as other sex and age classes, but rested less and were more vigilant. The decrease in time spent resting was possibly a way to minimize costs due to increased vigilance. The higher vigilance rate is considered to be an antipredation behavior exhibited by lactating females to protect their young.