Activity Patterns of Two Sympatric Species of Skunks (Mephitis mephitis and Spilogale gracilis) in Texas
2010; Southwestern Association of Naturalists; Volume: 55; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1894/ps-51.1
ISSN1943-6262
AutoresSean A. Neiswenter, Robert C. Dowler, John H. Young,
Tópico(s)Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
ResumoWe used radiotelemetry to document and compare activity and movement between the western spotted skunk Spilogale gracilis, and the striped skunk Mephitis mephitis in Texas. Mephitis mephitis had a higher rate of movement than S. gracilis. Both species had highest rates of movement during autumn, coinciding with dispersal of young. With the exception of summer, M. mephitis was significantly more active than S. gracilis and generally took shorter breaks during nightly activity. We documented statistical differences in activity between species for all seasons. Highest activity of one species occurred during lowest activity of the other species, which may indicate avoidance of the larger more-dominant species, M. mephitis, by S. gracilis.
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