Abstract:

The study of wildlife activity rhythms requires long-term and continuous data collection, which is challenging for animals that are rare, elusive, and sensitive to human disturbance, leading to insufficient understanding of their activity patterns. The efficiency, ease, dependability, and other benefits of satellite-positioning tracking collars make them appealing for tracking and monitoring of wildlife, and the data are increasingly been used to analyze patterns of animal activity rhythms. The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is listed as a ClassⅠ National Key Protected Wildlife of China and is considered Critically Endangered (CR) in China’s Red List. Using satellite-tracking collars, we explored Asian elephant activity patterns in Yunnan Xishuangbanna from June 2023 to May 2024. The activity rhythms of Asian elephant were evaluated using two types of data, activity quantity and movement rate. The Asian elephant with collar had been successfully and effectively tracked for 366 days, and 13 520 data records were collected. Each day throughout the tracking period, the tracked elephant traveled a maximum of 12.79 km, with a daily average of (4.114 ± 0.10) km. Data on the elephant’s daily activity rhythms indicate a distinct bimodal pattern, with the morning hours of 07: 00 - 09: 00 and the evening hours 19: 00 - 21: 00 showing the highest activity levels. Furthermore, analysis of monthly activity rhythm revealed that the elephant’s relative activity intensity varies significantly from month to month (χ² = 490.303, df = 11, P < 0.01), with the activity frequency peaking in April. The daily activity level of the elephant clearly fluctuates with the season. Daily activity intensity increases from summer to autumn to spring and winter. The wet and dry seasons also differed significantly in terms of activity intensity, with the rainy season having lower afternoon activity intensity than the dry season. Although there are differences in the low and peak times of the elephant activity identified by the two data types during each period, the activity rhythm curves produced by the two data show a similar trend. This study provided a detailed description of the activity rhythms based on various collar data and revealed individual activity rhythms and seasonal differences of the tracked Asian elephant. This study serves as an important resource and guidance for future research and management of Asian elephants.

Key words: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Satellite tracking collar, Activity rhythms, Seasonal

摘要：

野生动物活动节律研究需要长时间、连续的数据收集，对于那些数量稀少、行踪隐秘和对人类干扰敏感的动物很难做到持续监测，导致对其活动节律了解不足。卫星定位追踪项圈因其高效性、便利性和可靠性等多方面优点，被广泛用于野生动物的跟踪监测，卫星项圈数据也逐渐用于野生动物活动节律分析。本研究以国家一级重点保护野生动物亚洲象（Elephas maximus）为研究对象，于2023年6月至2024年5月利用北斗卫星项圈对其进行了卫星跟踪。分别利用活动量数据和移动速率数据对亚洲象活动节律进行分析，并对两类数据所得到的活动节律模式进行对比。结果表明：佩戴项圈的亚洲象累积有效追踪天数共366 d，回传数据13 520条，跟踪期间亚洲象日均移动距离为（4.114 ± 0.10）km，日最大移动距离为12.79 km。亚洲象的日活动节律呈现明显双峰模式，属晨昏活动类型，活动高峰期主要出现于上午07: 00—09: 00和晚上19: 00—21: 00。各月份间亚洲象活动强度存在显著差异（χ² = 490.303，df = 11，P < 0.01），1—7月活动频率保持在较高水平，4月达到峰值，8月开始活动强度逐渐下降，9—12月是亚洲象的活动低谷期。季节间活动强度存在差异，活动强度从大到小依次为夏季、冬季、春季和秋季；干湿季间活动强度也存在显著差异，雨季下午的活动强度低于旱季。基于活动量数据和移动速率数据所得到的活动节律曲线走势基本相同，但各时间段内两种数据识别出的亚洲象活动低谷期和高峰期时间有所差异。研究揭示了被追踪亚洲象个体活动节律及季节差异，对比了基于不同项圈数据的活动节律，可为未来更深入、全面的亚洲象管理和研究工作提供借鉴与参考。

关键词: 亚洲象, 卫星追踪项圈, 活动节律, 季节性