Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the home range, habitat selection, and migration routes of the wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus)in the Kumtag Desert, China. Method: Three wild camels in Kumtag Desert were outfitted with satellite tracking collars and monitored from 2014 to 2016. Minimum convex polygon (MCP) was used to calculate home range. Kernel model was used to analyse habitat selection. Result: During the entirety of the study period, the 100% MCP home range of three wild camels reached 7 596.44 km², 8 152.10 km², and 1 162.17 km², respectively. In terms of season, the home ranges were the largest in spring, followed by winter, and then autumn and summer. Different individual used separated core areas but exhibited some overlap with one another. Individual camels picked different habitats in different seasons. For example, while all three camels moved to the cooler Altun Mountains in summer, however they did not all move to the warm Aqike Valley in winter. Home range hotspots were centered around watering holes during spring and autumn. Most migrations occurred during the breeding season, peaking in April. The wild camels were able to complete a migration from north to south movement across the Kumtag desert within 30 hours. Conclusion: Based on the analysis of habitat utilization of wild camels, the areas and migration routes of wild camels in different seasons are preliminarily determined. The determination of key areas will provide a basis for the protection and management of wild camels and their habitats. Due to limited samples and data, further research is necessary to reveal the habitat selection and migration mechanism of the wild camel population in Kumtag Desert, China.

Key words: desert ecosystem, ungulate, home range, seasonal habitat selection, movement in breeding season