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1 March 2005 Movement and Space Use by Coastal Rosy Boas (Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca) in Coastal Southern California
James E. Diffendorfer, Carlton Rochester, Robert N. Fisher, Tracey K. Brown
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Abstract

We studied the movement ecology of Coastal Rosy Boas (Lichanura roseofusca) by radio tracking 17 animals across four sites for up to four years. The typical movement pattern included many short distance moves with rare long distance movements. These skewed distributions made the mean a poor descriptor of movement and this is likely a common issue in other studies. Sexes had similar movement patterns and moved less frequently and shorter distances per day during cooler seasons. Rare long-distance movements occurred primarily in the spring. Propensity to move and mean distance moved per day varied across sites. Home-range size increased with additional fixes even after four years and had a seasonal pattern, increasing during warmer seasons and remaining stable or shrinking during cooler seasons. Despite using novel habitat in sequential years, nearly all individuals used the same general area over longer periods of time. Finally, individuals of both sexes had high levels of spatial overlap. The results indicate for L. roseofusca (1) Individual variability in movement is more the rule than the exception; (2) Common seasonal patterns in movement and space use do exist; (3) Home-range sizes vary through time yet remain in the same general location; and (4) A lack of territoriality and considerable overlap in space use exist.

James E. Diffendorfer, Carlton Rochester, Robert N. Fisher, and Tracey K. Brown "Movement and Space Use by Coastal Rosy Boas (Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca) in Coastal Southern California," Journal of Herpetology 39(1), 24-36, (1 March 2005). https://doi.org/10.1670/212-03A
Accepted: 1 October 2004; Published: 1 March 2005
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