Uso del hábitat y comportamiento en vicuñas de la Reserva Los Andes (Salta, Argentina)

MOSCA TORRES, M.E.; PUIG, S.; QUINTANA, R.

Catamarca

Congreso; IV Congreso Mundial sobre Camélidos; 2006

FIDA, CFI, Fundación Biodiversidad

Habitat use by the vicuña would be conditioned by terrain configuration, resource availability (water, food and shelter) and social structure. Distribution of time among microhabitats and activities was studied for a vicuña population of the Puna across the summer of 2006. The animal-focal sampling method was employed on two adult males from different bachelor groups and two males from both family groups (leaders). The study area is dominated by shrubby slopes and foothills, with slopes and foothills with wetlands and ravines complementing the area. The Kruskal-Wallis test detected significant differences between bachelors and leaders. Both types of males occupied shrubby foothills mostly, and to a lesser extent, shrubby slopes and foothills with wetlands. Both types of foothills were principally used by leaders, whereas slopes with wetlands and ravines were exclusively used by bachelors. Foraging was the main activity performed by both types of males, followed by looking around and walking. Leaders allocated less time than bachelors to foraging (on shrubby foothills mainly), were more alert and looked around more than bachelors did (on both shrubby slopes and piedmont), ran more (on foothills with wetlands mostly), and walked and defecated more than bachelors. Bachelors only looked and walked during their occasional presence in ravines. Bachelors were recorded at all microhabitats, which is an evidence of their greater mobility, attributable to mate search and absence of territory. Vigilance and expelling of intruders are the primary defense activities displayed by leaders during the reproductive time. Key words: wild camelids, resource use, territoriality