Daily movement pattern variations in Wild boar (Sus scrofa L.)

Abstract

We propose a new classification of the daily movement patterns obtained by radiotracking on 29 free ranging wild boars (Sus scrofaL.) and we analyze the selection of patterns with regard to sex and age. To characterize the daily movement patterns we take into account two parameters: the maximum distance from the initial point (that is the initial diurnal resting place) and the distance between the initial resting place and the final resting place. We also discuss the relevance of these parameters to our objective and we determine a set of metric limits underlying the proposed classification. We identified five patterns: “Ranging widely”: the animal moves further than 1,000 m from the initial point and stops at a final resting place which is located further than 1,000 m from the initial one; “Ranging and return”: the animal moves further than 1,000 m from a initial point and stops at a final resting place which is located between 500 and 1,000 m from the initial one; “Loop”: the animal moves further than 1,000 m and stops at a final resting place which is less than 500 m from the initial one; “Stay and rest nearby”: the animal does not move further than 1,000 m and stops at a final resting place which is between 500 and 1,000 m from the initial one; “Stay”: the animal does not move further than 1,000 m and stops at a final resting place which is less than 500 m from the initial one. Finally, we try to explain the importance of the selection of these different daily movement patterns in determining the socio-spatial organisation of Wild boar populations.