Comparative movement analysis for a sympatric dhole and golden jackal in a human-dominated landscape

Abstract

GPS tracking enables the collection of large quantities of data on animal movements which can help guide conservation efforts. Using movement data from a dhole (Cuon alpinus) and a golden jackal (Canis aureus), we demonstrate the efficacy of movement analysis techniques to explore and contrast the movement patterns of these two individuals. The jackal used a 151 km2 local convex hull home ranged covering mostly agricultural lands during the monitoring period, but the dhole restricted its movements to protected forest and a home range size of 33 km2. Autocorrelation functions demonstrated consistent nocturnal activity for the jackal and diurnal activity for the dhole. K-means cluster analysis of step lengths and turning angles along with semi-variograms showed that the jackal utilised larger areas and traveled longer distances than the dhole. By combining a comparative approach with simple movement analysis techniques, insights into the space use strategies of canids can be gained in order to enhance our ability to develop effective conservation strategies for these largely persecuted species.