Activity patterns of female red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in the Alps

Abstract

During 1976 to 1978 in the Bavarian Alps (Southern West Germany) the activity patterns of nine female red deer have been studied using radio-telemetry. The daily sum total of activity shows a marked annual cycle, ranging from about 7 h in winter to some 15 h in summer. It becomes obvious that the duration of activity during solar day, night and twilight is not only due to the length of these three periods but also varies independently in the course of the year. The daily pattern of activity reveals a bimodal 24-h rhythm throughout the year. Its two peaks coincide with dawn and dusk. Their temporal position shifts according to the seasonally changing LD-ratio. Also the relative height of the two peaks varies in the course of the year; they decrease in the summer months in favour of more activity during the light time. These daily and annual rhythms rely on corresponding changes in the pattern of activity bursts. In some cases the sequences of activity bursts reflect also influences of weather conditions or of differently structured habitats on the animals' behaviour. The possible influences of some endogenous and exogenous factors on the activity patterns are discussed.