Homing Behavior, Orientation, and Home Range of Salamanders Tagged with Tantalum-182

Using radioactive tags, we recorded movements of salamanders (Plethodon jordani) in their home areas and during homing. Males occupied home areas about three times larger than those of females and made occasional excursions into outlying regions. Homing after 22- to 60-meter displacements was direct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1970-06, Vol.168 (3938), p.1484-1487
Main Authors: Madison, D. M., Shoop, C. Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Celestial mechanics
Compasses
Female animals
Homes
Homing
Homing Behavior
Orientation
Point estimators
Salamanders
Scintillation
Smell
Social Isolation
Tantalum
Time Factors
Urodela - physiology
Vegetation
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Summary:Using radioactive tags, we recorded movements of salamanders (Plethodon jordani) in their home areas and during homing. Males occupied home areas about three times larger than those of females and made occasional excursions into outlying regions. Homing after 22- to 60-meter displacements was direct and rapid, once initiated. Course headings at 1 meter from release were random; those at 2 meters and more were home-oriented. Males initiated homing movements sooner than females, although both sexes traveled at similar rates. Increased incidence of climbing on vegetation after displacement suggests olfactory mechanisms of orientation. These observations give direct evidence of homing orientation in caudate amphibians.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.168.3938.1484