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1 July 2012 Alarm Signals of the Sichuan Sika Deer Cervus nippon sichuanicus
Chengzhong Yang, Zhen Xiao, Yanshu Guo, Yuanqing Xiong, Xiuyue Zhang, Bisong Yue
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Abstract

Sichuan sika deer (Cervus nippon sichuanicus) is an endangered and endemic subspecies of sika deer to Sichuan Province, China. According to our observations in the wild, the Sichuan sika deer makes alarm signals in the presence of actual or potential predators. In order to test the variation of the rhythmic alarm calls in some sex/age classes and different risk contexts, we recorded alarm calls of Sichuan sika deer from 2 October to 30 November 2008 and from 4 April to 5 September 2009 in the Tiebu Nature Reserve, Zoige County, Sichuan Province, China, and made acoustic analysis of these alarm calls. The results showed that the fundamental frequencies of alarm signals of Sichuan sika deer tended to decrease with age, and were significantly higher for females than for males. Duration tended to increase with age, and was significantly longer for males than for females. The fundamental frequencies and duration of alarm calls in adults were significantly higher and shorter respectively in high-risk than in moderate-risk contexts.

© 2012 Zoological Society of Japan
Chengzhong Yang, Zhen Xiao, Yanshu Guo, Yuanqing Xiong, Xiuyue Zhang, and Bisong Yue "Alarm Signals of the Sichuan Sika Deer Cervus nippon sichuanicus," Zoological Science 29(7), 423-427, (1 July 2012). https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.29.423
Received: 22 August 2011; Accepted: 1 February 2012; Published: 1 July 2012
KEYWORDS
acoustic analysis
acoustic variation
alarm signals
Cervus nippon sichuanicus
Sichuan sika deer
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