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During July and August from 2006 to 2008, summer habitat selection was studied in Alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus) in Xinglongshan National Natural Reserve in northwestern China. In total, seventy one musk deer utilized habitat plots and 246 random habitat plots were surveyed. Seventeen habitat characteristics were recorded and compared between the two habitat types, using Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square to compare the differences between utilized and random habitat plots, and principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the main factors influencing the habitat selection of musk deer. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square was conducted to test whether there was significant difference between utilized and random plots. The results showed that musk deer prefers habitat with taller arbor height (7.57 +/- 0.83 ) m, higher food-plants abundance (12.97 +/- 1.80), increasing foliage cover for concealment, lower water dispersion, and higher anthropogenic disturbance. Furthermore, PCA results suggested that the arbor characteristics (arbor canopy and arbor DBH), altitude characteristic, food characteristics (ground-plant cover and food-plant abundance) and shrub characteristics (shrub canopy, shrub height and related arbor density) influence summer habitat selection patterns of alpine musk deer in Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve. The general pattern of summer habitat utilization and selection of alpine musk deer is an adaptive strategy to the changing food, concealment, water source and the physical condition of summer habitat. more...

A monthly 5-day periodic observation at 06:00-18:00 from March to November 2007 was conducted to record the behavioral processes, contents, and results, and the surrounding habitats of Sichuan sika deer (Cervus nippon sichuanicus) in Donglie, Chonger, and Reer villages of Tiebu Natural Reserve of Sichuan Province. The behavioral ethogram, vigilance behaviors ethogram and its PAE (posture, act, and environment) coding system of the Sichuan sika deer were established, which filled the gap of the PAE coding of ungulates vigilance behaviors. A total of 11 kinds of postures, 83 acts, and 136 behaviors were recorded and distinguished, with the relative frequency of each behavior in relation to gender, age, and season described. Compared with other ungulates, the behavioral repertoire of Sichuan sika deer was mostly similar to that of other cervid animals. more...

By the method of focal sampling and continuous recording, a comparative study was made on the behavioral patterns of 23 captive alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus) , among which, 17 deer were wild-caught (WC), and 6 deer were captive-bred (CB). The results showed that owing to the same enclosure facilities and managing system, there was no essential difference in the behavioral modes between WC and CB, but WC exhibited more collision behavior than CB (P < 0.05) because of the differences in capture, lactation, and contact with other baby deer. Male deer showed lower bedding (P < 0.05), ingestion (P < 0.05) and ruminating (P < 0.05), but more moving (P < 0.05) at mating season, compared with those at non-mating season. Furthermore, male deer expressed more scent marking through intensive tail-rubbing and urination-defecation, and accordingly, the behaviors of scent collecting such as environment sniffing and anogenital exploring were expressed more stronger, though the differences were not significant (P > 0.05). more...