Dispersion of introduced arctic hares ( Lepus arcticus ) on islands off Newfoundland's south coast

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Small, Robert J., Keith, Lloyd B., Barta, Robert M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1991
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Lepus arcticus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z91-368; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z91-368

We describe dispersion of radio-collared arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) introduced to three islands off Newfoundland's south coast. Nearest-neighbor analyses indicated that home-range activity centers were aggregated during both summer and winter. Mean distances between activity centers were significantly less during winter than during summer, with the greatest aggregation observed when rates of fox predation were least and snow depth and persistence were greatest. Arctic hares apparently lack a rigid social-dominance system; hence, environmental factors such as availability of food sources, snow conditions, and presence of predators may primarily influence dispersion.