Dispersal distance and the range of nightly movement in Merriam's kangaroo rat
Jones WT. 1989. Dispersal distance and the range of nightly movement in Merriam's kangaroo rat. Journal of Mammalogy. 70(1):27-34
Lifetime dispersal distances in Merriam's kangaroo rat, _Dipodomys merriami_, ranged from 0 to 265 m in males and from 0 to 158 m in females. Radiotelemetry data on nightly movements detected males < or = 146 m and females < or = 123 m form home-range centers. Eighty-nine percent of lifetime dispersal distances and 96% of moves between consecutive censuses were within the radii of familiarity indicated by radiotelemetry. Most effective 'dispersal' appears to occur as a series of shifts in centers of activity within familiar areas. Occasional excursions beyond the usual area of activity and frequent moves to new burrows may contribute to the ability of the _D. merriami_ to shift home ranges. The traditional view of dispersal as high-risk movement into unfamiliar areas does not apply to effective dispersal in _D. merriami_. Neither is despersal in this species described precisely by models in which investigators assumed that individuals move to the nearest vacant site at a particular age or season.