Homing Behavior, Site Fidelity and Territoriality of the Pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) in Kenya

Abstract

Animals exhibit unique spatial and temporal behaviors that enhance their survival. Understanding such behaviors is an important step towards effective conservation and management especially of threatened species. In this study, we experimented on whether the Pancake tortoise had the ability to home if translocated and also investigated on site fidelity and territoriality of the species in the natural habitats in Kitui County, Kenya. Behavior of 39 tortoises inhabiting 12 spatially separated rock crevices was studied from July 2020 to June 2022 through radio-tracking, camera trapping and combination of group-level scan sampling and ad libitum sampling. Fourteen of the tortoises were fitted with radio-transmitters and trans-located from their respective home crevices to other crevices away from their respective home crevices and their movement and behavior monitored. With an exception of only two females that adapted well to the new crevices of translocation, all the other tortoises attempted homing, with 46.15% of them tracing their way back to their home crevices with accurate precision and 15.38% also reaching areas believed to be within their home range. The successful homing indisputably gives evidence of strong site fidelity in the species. An analysis of the tortoise crevice occupancy showed that there was no statistically significant difference between numbers of the tortoises initially present in the crevices with the average number present over 162 sampling days (F(1,22) = 0.0699, P >0.05), further supporting strong site fidelity in the species. On the other hand camera trapping events and ad libitum sampling also proved the Pancake tortoises to be territorial with males aggressively defending their territories from other incoming males.