Home-Range Size in Relation to Age and Sex in Moose

Abstract

During 1983–1989, 49 moose (Alces alces) were monitored in central Sweden to estimate annual and seasonal home ranges. Males had larger annual home ranges (25.9 km2 ± 3.3 SE) than did females (13.7 km2 ± 2.2 SE, P < 0.01). Size of home ranges of males was strongly dependent on age (P < 0.05), in contrast to that of females (P < 0.20). We observed similar home-range sizes (10–20 km2) among younger male and female moose, whereas older males used larger home ranges than did older females, especially during autumn (P < 0.01) and winter (P < 0.01). Neither sex showed significant variation in home-range size among seasons (P > 0.05), except females without young (P < 0.05). Only in autumn did females with young have different (P < 0.01) average home-range size compared with females without young; those with young were, on average, twice as large as those without young (5.8 km2 versus 2.2 km2, respectively). We suggest that variation in home-range size may have two main causes. First, body size, and thus nutritional demands, varies between sexes throughout the year; second, the strong relationship between age and home-range size among males is likely caused by social activities associated with rut, and, in particular with age-related dominance.