Time budget as related to feeding tactics of European polecat Mustela putorius

The time budget of five male and four female European polecats was studied in western France through radiotracking surveys. Their activity level avera ged 7 h and 31 min without any significant differences between males and fe males. However two phases, foraging and travelling, were not similarly dist ributed in both sexes. Despite a strong sexual dimorphism, females spent mo re time foraging than males. Travelling, i.e. time devoted to linear moveme nts was more important in males than females. Variations in activity phase duration were correlated with the proportions of food categories, suggestin g that the dispersion of available resources directly influenced polecat ac tivity. The exploitation of prey showing an aggregative distribution such a s anurans led to a decrease in general activity whereas the consumption of rodents, which were more regularly distributed, was correlated to the forag ing activity. Mating and breeding also affected the activity duration. Thus it seems that the time budget of polecats resulted from a compromise betwe en social organization and trophic constraints. (C) 1999 Published by Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.