Home Range and Movements of the Eastern Cottontail in Kansas

FROM THE INTRODUCTION....A knowledge of the home range and movements of the cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is one of the most important prerequisites for estimating effectively its numbers and managing its populations. By comparing results obtain ... Read more

FROM THE INTRODUCTION....A knowledge of the home range and movements of the cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is one of the most important prerequisites for estimating effectively its numbers and managing its populations. By comparing results obtained from different methods, previously used, for determining the size of the home range I have attempted to develop a more valid procedure. The study here reported upon was made on the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation (Sec. 4, T. 12S, R. 20E), the northeasternmost section of Douglas County, Kansas, approximately 6½ miles north-northeast of the University campus at Lawrence. The 590-acre reservation, situated in the ecotone between the eastern deciduous forests and the prairie of the Great Plains near the north edge of the Kansas River Valley, has been protected as a "natural area" since 1948 (Fitch, 1952). It consists of tree-covered slopes, and flat grass-covered hilltops and valleys. Two limestone outcrops follow the contours about five and 20 feet below the tops of the hills. Less