Weak Habitat Segregation between Male and Female Mountain Hares (Lepus timidus)

Abstract

Sexual habitat segregation affects animal distribution and can lead to different life-histories across sexes. We investigated sex-related habitat segregation in the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) during the early-breeding and post-reproductive periods at the macro- (home range) and microscale (pellet location) by using pellet data sets from a non-invasive genetic population monitoring in the Swiss Alps. The data sets comprise six years (2014–2019) of sampling and include 119 individuals (70 males, 49 females). At the macroscale, the sex-related habitat segregation was weak in both periods but higher in the early-breeding period as compared with that in the post-reproductive period. Home ranges of females contained a higher proportion of forest stands in the early-breeding period. At the microscale, the sex-related habitat segregation for habitat characteristics was low in both periods. We conclude that habitat segregation between male and female mountain hares is weak during the early-breeding and post-reproductive periods.