Home range, core areas and movement in the ‘critically endangered’ kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) in southwest Tanzania

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding how threatened forest primates use a heterogeneous landscape is essential to ensuring their survival. Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) are ‘critically endangered’, arboreal monkeys restricted to two sites in Tanzania. Over 90% of the population lives in the degraded Rungwe‐Kitulo forests of the Southern Highlands. In this study, we present the first comprehensive investigation into daily path length and home range size of kipunji, based on data from four groups followed simultaneously over 70 consecutive days on Mt. Rungwe. The mean daily distance travelled was 1293 m (SE 150.82), and daily distance was not significantly correlated to group size. Using fixed kernel density estimation, an area enclosing 90% of the home range calculated using the ‘reference’ method as a smoothing parameter, measured a mean of 306.18 ha (SE 67), and the core area (50% use) was 86.55 ha (SE 18.73). Using the ‘least‐squares cross validation’ method, the mean home range and core area were 205.45 ha (SE 57.02) and 55.45 ha (SE 14.23) respectively. Home range overlap was extensive, although contact between groups was rare, with >97.30% of all observations within 20 min separated by >250 m. The data strongly suggest that kipunji are not territorial.