SOCIAL DISPERSION AND LEKKING IN UGANDA KOB

Lek-breeding in Uganda kob was associated with extremely high population density (c. 140 animals/km2). Kob were typically found in unstable aggregations of more than one hundred animals, including several adult males. Females occupied unusually large, overlapping home ranges, but reasons for such widespread movements were unclear. The social dispersion of Uganda kob was therefore similar to that of other lekking ungulates, and confirms predictions of several recent hypotheses of lek evolution. However, resolution of alternative models is nevertheless difficult, since in practice these make very few exclusive predictions.