HOME-RANGE, HABITAT SELECTION AND ACTIVITY OF THE RED FOX IN A MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL ECOTONE

Ranging behaviour and activity of five (2 females, 3 males) red foxes Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Mediterranean coastal area of Maremma Natural Park (central Italy; an area of great habitat diversity) are described. One female ranged over a very small area and had diurnal activity rhythms. For other foxes, home range size (100% minimum convex polygon) varied between 86 and 485 ha (larger than fox ranges in urban areas and smaller than in northern or homogeneous areas), and core areas (50% harmonic mean) between 4.0 and 13.7 ha. Habitat diversity within home ranges was significantly higher than that of the overall area. Within their home ranges, foxes selected scrubwood for resting. When active, they showed individual differences in habitat selection. Peak activity was between 20.00 h and 22.00 h, but foxes were active also during the day.