Diurnal Activity Budgets and Energy Balance Strategy of Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) Before, During and After the Rut Around Dalai Lake, Inner Mongolia

In November, December 2007 and March 2008, we studied the diurnal activity budgets of the Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) using group-scan-sampling for the time before, during and after the rut around DaLai Lake, Inner Mongolia. The activities of Mongolian Gazelle were divided into 6 categories: feeding, standing, moving, lying, rutting and others. The results showed: 1) Before the rut, the major behavior of the female was feeding, the time budget of feeding occupied 44.9±3.8% of all diurnal time, the lying time was 32.3±4.8%; During the rut the females spent 43.5±4.0% on feeding and 29.2±2.9% on lying; After the rut the time budget of feeding occupied 46.2±3.1% of all diurnal time, the lying time was 28.0±4.8%. Activity budgets of the female on standing, rutting, others changed significantly among the three periods (P<0.05)，but activity budgets on feeding, moving, and lying did not change significantly among the three periods (P>0.05). 2). Before the rut, the major behavior of the males was feeding, the time budget of feeding occupied 52.6±3.8% of all diurnal time, the lying time was 13.4±6.4%; During the rut the males spent significantly less time on feeding (17.5±2.8%) and more time on lying (24.2±4.1%) compared with before the rut. After the rut, the time budget of feeding occupied 29.8±4.8% of all diurnal time, while the lying time was 44.2±4.7%. Activity budgets of the male on feeding, standing, moving, lying, rutting, others changed significantly among the three periods (P<0.05). The time budget on feeding and lying reflects on energy balance strategies. We conclude from the results that; females do not change their strategy significantly among the three periods - they try to increase their energy intake; before the rut, the male is the same as the female, but during and after the rut, the males adopt an energy saving strategy to optimize their energy balance; males aim to save energy by spending more time lying.