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Abstract
Radiotelemetry collars with tip-sensors have long been used to monitor wildlife activity. However, comparatively few researchers have tested the reliability of the technique on the species being studied. To evaluate the efficacy of using tip-sensors to assess mountain lion (Puma concolor) activity, we radiocollared 2 hand-reared mountain lions and simultaneously recorded their behavior and the associated telemetry signal characteristics. We noted both the number of pulse-rate changes and the percentage of time the transmitter emitted a fast pulse rate (i.e., head up) within sampling intervals ranging from 1-5 minutes. Based on 27 hours of observations, we were able to correctly distinguish between active and inactive behaviors >93% of the time using a logistic regression model. We present several models to predict activity of mountain lions; the selection of which to us would depend on study objectives and logistics. Our results indicate that field protocols that use only pulse-rate changes to indicate activity can lead to significant classification errors.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Predicting mountain lion activity using radiocollars equipped with mercury tip-sensors |
| Series title | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1999 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wildlife Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center |
| Description | 6 p. |
| First page | 19 |
| Last page | 24 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| Other Geospatial | Big Cypress National Preserve |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |