Summer behavior and diurnal activity of mountain vizcachas (Lagidium viscacia) in two colonies of Northwestern Patagonia

Abstract

The mountain vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) is a specialist of rocky habitats with colonies distributed along elevation gradients. Knowledge about its behavior is scarce and populations in northern Patagonia are declining. This is the first study describing the behavior and summer diurnal activity of two mountain vizcacha colonies under natural conditions. We registered by scan sampling the activities of 15 individuals during the period of 5 days. Vizcachas performed typical behaviors of rock specialists and allocated most of their time to foraging near the rock shelter (34%) and resting (26%). Behaviors such as locomotion (16%) and social interactions (10%) were important. Allogrooming (4.5%), vigilance (3%), and dust-bathing (1%) occupied a relatively small percentage of activities. In summer, the diurnal activity presented a bimodal distribution and was inversely related to the mean daytime air temperature, with a maximum peak between 8:00 and 9:00 h. Main activities such as foraging, resting, and locomotion were concentrated in the morning and at sunset. The behavioral responses suggest that the activity of this rodent in summer is influenced by thermal conditions. These results are a first important step in order to understand future vizcacha responses to climate change.