The home range size and changes by season were studied for four radiocollared adult female sika deer in the high-density population at the shrine area of Kinkazan Island, northern Japan. Size of home ranges was quite small, the greatest of the four females being about 20 ha, much smaller than for sika deer in other areas, or as predicted by body size relationships to home range size in other species by McNab (1963). The female home ranges overlapped broadly and were centered on the short-grass (lawnlike) Zoysia grasslands, their major feeding area. There was no consistent pattern in home range sizes over the seasons, with some individuals showing increases and others declines. However, Zoysia grassland use was greatest in summer and least in winter, which agreed with the foods consumed, which was 70% Zoysia japonica in summer and 14% in winter.
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Ito, T.Y., Takatsuki, S. (2009). Home Range, Habitat Selection, and Food Habits of the Sika Deer Using the Short-Grass Community on Kinkazan Island, Northern Japan. In: McCullough, D.R., Takatsuki, S., Kaji, K. (eds) Sika Deer. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-09429-6_11
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