| Large mammalian carnivores generally have large space requirements and are extremely sensitive to habitat fragmentation. Consequently, large carnivores tend to decline in areas of increasing human density, and disappear from small parks and reserves. Within a population, individuals with different patterns of space utilization may be subject to different selection pressures and mortality risks from humans. Understanding the determinants of space utilization patterns may help us ameliorate effects on wildlife of expanding human populations and changing land-use patterns. Here I investigated space utilization in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in order to elucidate sources of variation in space utilization among individuals of this species large carnivore species. Integrating field data from one large Crocuta social group, or clan, with maps and remotely-sensed images into a Geographic Information System (GIS), I tested predictions of hypotheses suggesting that space utilization patterns in Crocuta are affected by age, sex, social rank, reproductive state, and ecological variables, including lions, ungulate prey, vegetation type, and human activity.; I determined the borders of the study clan's territory from locations of group territorial activities, such as clan wars and border patrols. Female clan members initiated and led most of these territorial activities. Most alien hyenas encountered within the clan's territory were males. The probability of attack on alien hyenas by residents varied with sex of intruders and sex of residents.; I mapped den sites used by the study clan, and calculated frequency and distance of den moves. Hyenas used dens throughout their territory for rearing cubs, and on average, moved their clan's communal den approximately every 4 weeks. Site selection of dens varied with female social rank.; Male and female hyenas showed remarkably similar patterns of space utilization from 1 mo of age through the age of weaning. A sex difference in space utilization emerged at reproductive maturity but before males dispersed; males were found farther from the center of the clan's territory than were females.; Space utilization patterns among adult female hyenas varied with reproductive state and rank. Whether or not they had dependent cubs residing at the clan's communal den, high-ranking females tended be found in the vicinity of the communal den. Low-ranking females with dependent cubs at the den also tended to be found near the den, but these females ranged more widely when they did not have den-dwelling cubs. When unconstrained by the needs of den-dwelling cubs, low-ranking females may have used more remote areas in order to avoid competition with high-ranking females. Surprisingly, all hyenas avoided a central short grass plain that contained the highest prey abundance in the clan's territory, and instead they utilized areas of lower prey concentration and heavier vegetation cover. Long-term data suggested that these hyenas have altered their space utilization patterns in response to increasing human activity. |
