ABSTRACTDIURNAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS, HABITAT USE AND ENERGY COST OF LOCOMOTION BY SPOTTED HYENAS (Crocuta crocuta) IN THE MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYABYTimothy Mwanzia IkimeLarge carnivore population sizes are declining worldwide and this trend has been associated with habitat loss, diminishing prey availability, poaching, human-wildlife conflict and trade in their products. Large carnivores may feed on prey that are larger than themselves and are faced with challenges of meeting their daily food requirements. Here, I examined the diurnal (10am-4pm) movement patterns, habitat choice, and energy cost of locomotion by female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) in Kenya. These patterns were investigated for a period of one year (2013). Two management regimes were employed in the MMNR throughout my study period, with intensive anthropogenic activity occurring on one side of the MMNR (disturbed) but not the other (undisturbed). I tested the hypothesis that the anthropogenic activity would be associated with differences in movement patterns, habitat choice and energy cost of locomotion between the two sides among groups of spotted hyenas fitted with GPS collars. I expected to see hyenas in the disturbed side of the MMNR travelling longer distances, using habitats characterized by denser vegetative cover, and using more energy in locomotion. As expected, my results showed hyenas in the disturbed side of MMNR travelled significantly longer distances than they did in the undisturbed side, and used habitats covered with more dense vegetation than expected. However, we saw hyenas in the undisturbed side of the Reserve using significantly more energy in locomotion than they did in the disturbed side.
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