Work

New to town: home range size, habitat selection and behavioral adaptations by urban hares

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: European hares Lepus europaeus have recently been shown to colonize urban areas in different parts of Europe. This appears to be a novel phenomenon, and little is known about the space use and behavioral adaptations of hares living in urban areas. Here, we describe the first findings concerning home range sizes from GPS‐collared hares (n = 3) in Aarhus city, Denmark, which we compared to home range sizes of hares in a nearby rural agricultural area (n = 24). Home ranges by urban hares were ca three‐fold smaller compared to hares in farmland (mean ± SD: 13.7 ± 3.0 versus 38.8 ± 23.4 ha). These differences might be driven by resource availability or movement barriers (mainly roads). Moreover, the flight initiation distance of urban hares was considerably shorter compared to hares in farmland (mean ± SD: 22 ± 17 versus 70 ± 45 m). This indicates that urban hares have adapted to human presence by increasing their tolerance towards human disturbance. Combined, our results provide a first glimpse into the movement ecology and behavioral adaptations of hares living in urban areas, which will provide the basis for further research.

Source: Wildlife Biology

DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01513

Authors: Martin Mayer, Rasmus Mohr Mortensen, Peter Sunde

Institutions: Aarhus University, University of Inland Norway

Language: English

Topic: Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,420