Home-range fidelity in the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa

Abstract

A study was conducted at a semi-arid site near Mt Mary, South Australia. Fifty-eight adult sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa, were radio-tagged and regularly located over the spring season, when they are most active, for 2-5 years. Home-range area did not differ between males and females. Changes in home-range position between years were assessed by the distance between home-range centres measured at intervals of one, two, three or four years. Mean distances for successive years were less than the span of the home range in one year. The distance did not differ between sexes, it was not related to lizard size, nor did it increase with increased time interval. This implies that for the resident adult population, lizards retain their home ranges for at least five years, and that the sexes do not differ in their fidelity to home range.