Effects of sun angle, lunar illumination, and diurnal temperature on temporal movement rates of sympatric ocelots and bobcats in South Texas

Sympatric ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) in South Texas show substantial overlap in body size, food habits, and habitat use. Consequently, we explore whether temporal niche partitioning may explain ocelot and bobcat coexistence. We investigated the influence of sun angle, lunar illumination, and maximum diurnal temperature on temporal movement rates of sympatric ocelots (n = 8) and bobcats (n = 6) using a combination of high-frequency GPS locations and bi-axial accelerometer data. We demonstrated that accelerometer data could be used to predict movement rates, providing a nearly continuous measure of animal activity and supplementing GPS locations. Ocelots showed a strong nocturnal activity pattern with the highest movement rates at night whereas bobcats showed a crepuscular activity pattern with the highest movement rates occurring around sunrise and sunset. Although bobcat activity levels were lower during the day, bobcat diurnal activity was higher than ocelot ...

得克萨斯州南部的同域分布虎猫（Leopardus pardalis）与短尾猫（Lynx rufus）在体型、食性与生境利用方面存在显著重叠。鉴于此，本研究探讨时间生态位分化是否能够解释虎猫与短尾猫的共存机制。本研究结合高频GPS定位数据与双轴加速计（bi-axial accelerometer）数据，分析了太阳高度角、月球照度以及日间最高气温对同域分布的8只虎猫（n=8）与6只短尾猫（n=6）的时间尺度移动速率的影响。本研究证实，加速计数据可用于预测动物移动速率，从而实现对动物活动的近乎连续监测，并可补充GPS定位数据的不足。虎猫呈现出强烈的夜行性活动模式，夜间移动速率达到峰值；而短尾猫则为晨昏活动模式，其移动速率峰值出现在日出与日落前后。尽管短尾猫日间活动水平较低，但其日间活动量仍高于虎猫……