Spatial organization and habitat selection of Geoffroy's cat in the Espinal of central Argentina

Abstract

We report data on the spatial ecology and habitat selection of eight adult Geoffroy's cat Leopardus geoffroyi (five males and three females) that were radiotracked in an area of the central Argentine Espinal. Mean home range size varied from 2.2 ± 1.9 km2 (Kernel95%) to 2.8 ± 2.4 km2 (MCP100%), with male home ranges 4.1 larger than those of females. Core areas (Kernel50%) averaged 0.7 ± 0.7 km2 and were 3 times smaller for females. Daily movement patterns were consistent with the variations in home range sizes being greater in males (590.2 m ± 476.6) than females (413.5 m ± 288.1). Home range overlap averaged 38%, and was highly variable between males and females and reached its highest value for intersexual pairs. At second-order resolution, most of individuals had a strong selection for open woodland, while the other habitats were generally avoided. At the home range level, although the electivity index values for the open woodland were positive for all animals, habitat selection showed a high inter-individual variation. Our data support previous studies that suggest that Geoffroy's cats show a certain degree of flexibility in their spatial behavior. Finally, we argue that natural woodland patches or habitats with dense vegetation are important for L. geoffroyi in the Argentinean Espinal and their alteration can affect the conservation status of this cat.