Vigilance behavior in lactating female Alpine ibex

We compared time budgets of lactating females with those of nonbreeding fem ales, yearlings, and adult males in a French Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) population. We tested whether lactating females spent as much rime as other sex-age classes feeding, moving, resting, and being;vigilant. Females with young at heel fed and moved as much as other sex and age classes, but rest ed less and were more vigilant. The decrease in time spent resting was poss ibly a way to minimize costs due to increased vigilance. The higher vigilan ce rate is considered to be an antipredation behavior exhibited by lactatin g females to protect their young.