NOTES ON THE ECOLOGY OF GORALS IN 2 AREAS OF SOUTHERN ASIA

Some aspects of the ecology of gorals were studied in North India and North-West Thailand. In both areas gorals used steep (> 30-degrees) to very steep (> 60-degrees) slopes. In the Indian area, open habitat wa s avoided when temperature raised over 20-degrees-C. Adult males were mainly solitary, whereas females tended to live in small groups : up t o 11 individuals could be seen together. Mean group size (1.6-1.9 indi viduals) appeared independent of local goral density. In the morning, feeding dominated (ca. 50 %) over all other activities at both study s ites, followed by standing and moving. In the afternoon, in Thailand, lying down and moving rose sharply to the expense of feeding, while in India lying down doubled, along with a strong decrease of moving. The se behavioural differences were probably dependent on local temperatur e variations. Social behaviour was scarcely observed in Thailand durin g our visit, whereas it was noticeable in India (13-15 %, rutting seas on). Temperature seems to be a factor of primary importance to regulat e overall Goral activity and habitat use.