Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2010 Group size and sex effects on vigilance: evidence from Asiatic ibex, Capra sibirica in Tianshan Mountains, China
Feng Xu, Ming Ma, Yiqun Wu
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The Asiatic ibex is a threatened endemic species that is distributed in the mountains of central and northern Asia. Using the method of group scan sampling, the behaviour of the Asiatic ibex was studied in the autumn of 2005. The effects of group size and sex on vigilance were tested. The results indicated that both group size and sex affected vigilance levels. Male ibex were significantly more vigilant than females at both the group scan level (percentage of individuals scanned during a session) and group scan frequency (percentage of intervals with at least one individual scanning). The group scan level was negatively correlated with group size, and group scan frequency was positively correlated with the group size in male, female, and overall groups. These results showed that group size and sex affected vigilance in Asiatic ibex.

Feng Xu, Ming Ma, and Yiqun Wu "Group size and sex effects on vigilance: evidence from Asiatic ibex, Capra sibirica in Tianshan Mountains, China," Folia Zoologica 59(4), 308-312, (1 December 2010). https://doi.org/10.25225/fozo.v59.i4.a6.2010
Received: 23 October 2009; Accepted: 1 January 2010; Published: 1 December 2010
KEYWORDS
group scan frequency
group scan level
sexual dimorphism
ungulate
Xinjiang
Back to Top