DYNAMICS OF SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MEMBERS OF A FOX GROUP (VULPES-VULPES, MAMMALIA, CARNIVORA)

The 'Resources Dispersion Hypothesis' (RDH, Macdonald, 1983) suggests that, for solitary foragers such as the red fox Vulpes vulpes, group f ormation is dependent on resource distribution heterogeneity. Our data are compatible with this hypothesis. Rodents, which constituted the m ain fox prey, were heterogeneously distributed in time and space. Six foxes (three males and three females) were radiotracked continuously f rom February 1989 to October 1990 (20 months) and we observed spatial sharing between one male and two or three females, considered as membe rs of a 'spatial group'. Even though their home ranges overlapped betw een 30 and 100%, members of the group foraged alone and had very few c ontacts with conspecifics during the night. Furthermore, they partitio ned the common home range so that each fox made exclusive use of forag ing patches. In contrast, during the daytime, two to four members of t he group were frequently in association in a communal resting place. S uch associations were observed all year round; they were durable and d ynamic. Their advantages were examined. We suggest that they play a ro le in the maintenance of social cohesion within the group in providing the opportunity for direct contact between foxes. They might also per mit increased security through mutual vigilance during resting.