Comparison on the biological characteristics of different functional partitions of the home range of Tibetan fox

Home range studies have been focused on determining home range size and utilization distribution. However, most analysis have failed to take into account the activity and function of the animals while using their home ranges. We radio tracked 3 Tibetan foxes ( Vulpes ferrilata ) during April 2006, September - October 2006, March - May 2007, September - October 2007 and March - April 2008 in Dulan County, Qinghai Province, China. Based on the behaviors and spatial distributions of resource use, we partitioned home ranges.into 4 main functional regions; core active region, core inactive region, peripheral active region, and peripheral inactive region. We measured biological characteristics of each region. Core active regions were smaller than core inactive regions, and the peripheral active regions were larger than peripheral inactive regions. Plateau pika ( Ochotona curzoniae) densities in both the core active region and peripheral active region were significantly higher than those in counterpart inactive regions. Compared with core inactive regions, core active regions were more likely to be located in areas with gentle slopes, lower elevations and lower positions on slopes. Compared with peripheral inactive regions, lower slope positions were preferred by Tibetan foxes for peripheral active areas, whereas slope and elevation did not differ.