Factors Affecting the Ranging Behavior of White-headed Langurs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trachypithecus leucocephalus</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Qihai Zhou Xiaoping Tang Henglian Huang Chengming Huang |
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Institution: | (1) College of Life Science, Guangxi Normal University, Guiling, Guangxi, 541004, China;(2) Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environment Engineering, Protection and Assessment, Guilin, Guangxi, 541004, China;(3) National Zoological Museum, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; |
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Abstract: | Ranging behavior is an important aspect of animal behavior that researchers use to investigate ecological influences on individual
behavior. We studied the influence of diet, water resources, and sleeping sites on the ranging behavior of 2 groups of white-headed
langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) in a limestone habitat at Fusui Nature Reserve, China, between August 2007 and July 2008. During the study period, the total
home range sizes for the 2 focal groups were 23.8 ha and 33.8 ha, the mean daily path lengths were 491 m and 512 m, and leaves
accounted for 83.4% and 91.0% of the diet, which are well within the range of variation reported for other Trachypithecus. One focal group traveled significantly longer distances in the rainy season months than in the dry season months. This variation
may be related to the seasonal difference in food availability and diet. The langurs did not use their home ranges uniformly,
and 50% of their activities occurred within 11% (group 1) and 20% (group 2) of their home ranges. The most heavily used quadrats
in the home ranges were located near the most frequently used sleeping sites. Moreover, the core areas (>70% of location records)
of both groups’ home ranges included ≥1 permanent water pool. The langurs ventured to these pools for drinking when surface
water became scarce in the dry season. These results suggest that sleeping sites and water scarcity may be significant influences
on the ranging behavior of white-headed langurs in limestone habitat. |
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