Activity budget patterns in family-group and solitary territorial male guanacos

Abstract

We observed behavioral patterns of territorial male guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Both solo territorial males and family-group territorial males were observed to compare the activity time budgets of males (n = 23) in different social groups and habitats. We found no difference in the activity time budgets of males based on social group type, total number of females or all guanacos present, or age of territorial males. Males, in all categories, spent most of their time foraging (65 % of overall time budget). There was a significant difference in time spent in aggressive and in miscellaneous (defecation, alertness to observer, scratching) activities based on habitat type; most aggressive encounters and miscellaneous activity occurred on hilltops of areas dominated by mata barrosa shrubs (Mulinum spinosum). It is likely that territorial male guanaco behaviors are related to the resources defended rather than to any direct ability to attract potential mates.Key words: guanaco, activity budget, territorial behavior, resource-defense. RESUMENObservamos patrones de comportamiento de guanacos machos territoriales (Lama guanicoe) en el Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Chile. Comparamos el presupuesto de actividad de machos solos y en grupos familiares (n = 23) en diferentes hábitat. No encontramos diferencias en los presupuestos de actividad de machos basados en el tipo de grupo social, número total de hembras o número total de guanacos presentes, o la edad de los machos territoriales. Guanacos macho en todas las categorías asignaron alrededor de 65 % de su actividad a forrajeo. Por otra parte, detectamos una influencia del tipo de hábitat sobre el tiempo asignado a interacciones agresivas y misceláneas (defecación, vigilancia al observador, rasguñando); las interacciones agresivas y conductas misceláneas fueron más frecuentes en cimas de colinas de áreas dominadas por el arbusto mata barrosa (Mulinum spinosum). Es probable que el comportamiento de los machos territoriales del guanaco esté relacionado a los recursos defendidos más que a una habilidad para atraer hembras y aumentar el éxito de apareamiento.Palabras clave: presupuesto de actividad del guanaco, comportamiento territorial, defensa del recurso.

Guanaco abundance and monitoring in Southern Patagonia: distance sampling reveals substantially greater numbers than previously reported

“…In applications where one needs to know sex and age structure, this problem can be minimized, if not overcome, if surveys are conducted towards the end of the birth season when chulengos are abundant. In addition, with training and experience, sexes can be identified even at moderate distance by morphological characteristics (testes/vulva, penis/mammary gland, and body shape) and behavioral cues, as demonstrated by field studies with a more acceptable 3 to 5% unclassified animals Fritz 1991, Fritz andFranklin 1994;Ortega and Franklin 1995;Sarno and Franklin 1999;Young and Franklin 2004b). Methodological improvements by guanaco researchers and managers need to be made to substantially increase the reliability of field identification of guanaco sexes and social groups.…”

Indirect measures of reproductive effort in a resource-defense polygynous ungulate: territorial defense by male guanacos

“…In this system, a group of females with their offspring of the year live within a territory that an adult male defends (Raedeke 1979;Franklin 1983;Bank et al 2003;Young and Franklin 2004a, b). Territorial males engage in a series of time-and energy-consuming activities, such as being vigilant to detect potential intruders, patrolling borders, and reinforcing territory ownership through defecating-urinating displays directed towards neighbors and peripheral males (Franklin 1983;Young and Franklin 2004a). Eventually, outsiders cross territory boundaries, ultimately triggering chases and direct fights.…”

“…Thus, territorial defense implies time-consuming activities that are undertaken at the expense of other mutually exclusive and potentially beneficial ones, such as feeding. The territorial defense effort has been assessed in family-group and solitary territorial male guanacos (Young and Franklin 2004a), but systematic comparisons between territorial males and males who are not engaged in reproductive activities are lacking. In contrast to territorial males, bachelors are mostly mature males who do not hold a territory and live within large male groups in which individuals enter and leave freely (Raedeke 1979;Franklin 1983).…”

Foraging and vigilance time allocation in a guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population reintroduced in Quebrada del Condorito National Park (Córdoba, Argentina)

“…those that survived the critical post-release period (Armstrong and Seddon 2008), invested more time in vigilance and less time in foraging than those previously reported (Marino and Baldi 2008), which may suggest some degree of stress that might have had a negative influence on the welfare of individuals. On the other hand, during the time of the present study, individuals exhibited the expected behavioural patterns indicated for the species (Raedeke 1979;Young and Franklin 2004;González et al 2006;Marino and Baldi 2008), in which foraging and vigilance time allocation are influenced by both guanaco social organization and ecological variables. Further studies will be necessary, however, when the guanaco population becomes larger and the reproductive group increases, to determine other factors that may influence vigilance and foraging behaviour, such as group-size effect, predation level or potential environmental stressors in the area of the QCNP.…”

“…According to the criteria by Young and Franklin (2004) and Marino and Baldi (2008), behaviours were defined as "vigilant", when the individual was standing with the head in an upright position, scanning the surrounding areas, and "foraging", when the individual was standing or walking slowly, handling food, with the head below the shoulder level.…”