Interindividual interactions of Molina´s hog-nosed skunks Conepatus chinga in the Pampas grassland

REPPUCCI, JUAN IGNACIO; CASTILLO, DIEGO; LUCHERINI, MAURO; LUENGOS VIDAL, ESTELA; CASANAVE, EMMA

ACTA THERIOLOGICA

Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences

Lugar: Bialowieza; Año: 2009 vol. 54 p. 87 - 94

0001-7051

During one year, we radiotracked two female and two male Molina?s hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus chinga (Molina, 1782)), a little studied mephitid, in the Pampas of central Argentina, to analyze the static and dynamic interactions between individuals. Mean home range overlap was large (44.5%), but males shared a smaller proportion of their home ranges than females. The average percentage of localizations in the overlap area (39.3%) indicates that these areas were not marginal sections of individual home ranges, but this value was greater for individuals of different genders than intrasexual dyads. The Coefficient of Spatial Association confirmed that individuals of different sexes are attracted one from another more than animals of the same sex. During simultaneous locations, females were closer than males, but reciprocal distances between individuals varied with their activity and over the time. These patterns are congruent with those described as typical for mustelids and mephitids. Our results confirm that an analysis of home range overlap should not be considered complete without the study of dynamic interactions among individuals and their temporal variations, which are necessary to understand whether there is attraction or repulsion between animals that share parts of their home ranges.