Abstract
Four adult male Canis lupus rufus (Red Wolf) were monitored with GPS collars in 2006-2008 on the Albemarle peninsula of North Carolina in the fi rst high temporal resolution (4 locations/day) study of this endangered species in the wild. The Wolves occupied home ranges during 11-18 month observation periods, and the GPS data were divided into 30-day subsets to evaluate changes in the spatial characteristics of the home ranges over time. The subset location data were then combined with land- cover maps derived from Landsat satellite imagery. Proportions of different land-cover types occupied by the Wolves were seasonally cyclic, with increased use of agricultural areas when tall row crops were available from summer to autumn and increased use of adjacent grass, brush, and forest areas from winter to late spring when tall crops were ab- sent. The spatial extents of home ranges (95% fi xed-kernel probability areas) were also seasonally variable, reaching maximum sizes (73-121 km 2 ) in early autumn to winter and contracting by 40% to 63% during whelping and pup-rearing in the spring. Our study shows the potential for GPS collars to provide useful information about space and habitat use by Red Wolves, and that at least a full year of observation may be required to fully determine the variability of home-range characteristics.
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