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Abstract
This study describes and compares the activity patterns of free-ranging Molina’s hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus chinga) in a protected area (PA) and in a cropland area (CA) in the Pampas grassland of Argentina. Sixteen skunks (PA: three males, four females; CA: three males, six females) were captured and monitored using radio-telemetry techniques for 92–395 days each. In both areas, C. chinga was largely nocturnal and the start and cessation of activity was related to sunset and sunrise, respectively. Skunks spent more time active in the PA, where the level of anthropogenic activity was lower, and this difference was due to increased activity during the daylight hours. Finally, activity was greater for females than for males, and in the warm season when compared to the cold season. In the Pampas grasslands of Argentina, activity of Molina’s hog-nosed skunks seems to be influenced by both food availability and predation risk related to human presence.
Acknowledgements
We thank J. Reppucci, S. Savini, C. Manfredi, M. Rodriguez, M.J. Merino, H. Bindotti, R. Temperoni and H. Marrero for their help in captures and radio-tracking. Thanks are extended to the farm owners who granted permission to work on their lands, especially the Merino family. The staff of Tornquist Provincial Park provided logistical support. D.F. Castillo, E.M. Luengos Vidal, and N.C. Caruso have been supported by a postgraduate scholarship from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). The paper was funded by Earthwatch Institute, IM40 Grant by Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT) and Secretaria General de Ciencia y Tecnología (SGCyT), UNS (PGI 24/B123 and 24/B152).