Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 135, March 2016, pp. 1-20. | Page 12

12

by radio location telemetry. From movement simulation of 1121 relocations (187
± 56 per animal) on a grid representation of the 20 km2 study area, mean home
ranges (i.e. 90% domains) were 1–5 ± 0–4 km2 and the animals moved 2.8 ± 0.7
km per night. Spatial activity differed by main foraging habitat which, in turn,
corresponded to den affiliation. Porcupines that foraged regularly on crops had
narrow domains with bimodal activity centres near the den and in potato fields;
and their movements were relatively stable across seasons. Animals dependent
on natural forage had larger and seasonally variable domains, and more diffuse
dispersions with a single activity centre near the den. Home range overlap was
greater among crop foragers, and all porcupines remained closer to dens during
moonlit periods. It was concluded that crested porcupine dispersion patterns are
flexible, and strongly linked to forage availability. The array of analytical
procedures used in this study is recommended for future studies of animal
spatial activity (Saltz and Alkon, 1989).

Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-von Jaffa infront of the Terra Sancta
College – Terra Sancta Secondary Boys School in in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Occupied
Palestine. Photo: Mr. Daoud Al-Hali. 24.07.2014.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/15561842912/
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 135 – March 2016