Title: BURROW USE AND POPULATION DENSITIES OF TUATARA (SPHENODON PUNCTATUS) AND HOW THEY ARE INFLUENCED BY FAIRY PRIONS (PACHYPTILA TURTUR) ON STEPHENS ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND'
Abstract: Burrow use and population densities of tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) were in- vestigated from 1975-1980 in two dissimilar areas of remnant forest, Ruston Bush and Keepers Bush, on Stephens Island in Cook Strait, New Zealand. Large numbers of fairy prions (Pachyptila turtur; Procellariiformes) breed on Stephens, and their densities were higher in Ruston Bush than in Keepers. Tuatara mainly used prion burrows, though they are able to dig their own. Burrows were either simple (containing a single prion nesting chamber) or complex (containing two or more nesting chambers). Most burrows in the Keepers plot were simple while those in Ruston tended to be complex. Only one tuatara was found in a burrow at a time. Individual tuatara used several burrows, and several tuatara used the same burrow at different times. Most tuatara used burrows in close proximity to each other, the median distance between successive burrow captures being 0.7 m in Ruston and 0.6 m in Keepers. Tuatara may defend their sole occupancy of a burrow. Some large adults showed preference for certain burrows whereas juveniles showed little site tenacity. Incubating fairy prions can evict tuatara from burrows. During prion breeding seasons, tuatara were found more often in burrows unoccupied by birds and burrows containing chicks than in burrows containing adult birds. Although more burrows were present in Ruston than in Keepers, similar population densities of tuatara were calculated to be in each area (Ruston: 1500/ha, Keepers: 1420/ha). This is attributed to there being fewer bird-occupied burrows in Keepers.
Publication Year: 1987
Publication Date: 1987-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 67
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