DIURNAL GROUPING AND ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF THE PYRENEAN CHAMOIS IN WINTER

The relationships between group size, activity patterns, and time of d ay were studied during a mild winter in a protected population of Isar d or Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica) in open montane pastures in the bottom of a central valley, bordered by a beech forest . The size and the total number of groups increased progressively from dawn to the middle of the afternoon. Nearly half of the animals forag ed early in the morning, while about two out of five were moving. As t he day proceeded, the allocation of time for foraging increased regula rly until approximately 3/4 of the animals were observed foraging at a bout 17:00. Foraging increased initially at the expense of moving, and later to both moving and standing. Then, just before dusk, both group size and time devoted to foraging decreased, as individuals returned to the beech forest to rest during the night in a sheltered habitat. T he relative influence of weather conditions and of the digestive physi ology of Pyrenean chamois on this spatiotemporal process is discussed.