Alpine mountain hare Lepus timidus varronis defecation rate: a first step toward faecal pellet count monitoring.

Abstract

Lepus timidus varronis, is the alpine sub-species of Lepus timidus and an endemic glacial relict of the Alps. Despite the great conservational and biological relevance of the species, the number of studies concerning it's biology and ecology are limited. An essential parameter for species management is to correctly estimate population density. To date there are no standardized nor validated survey techniques for surveying L. t. varronis. The faecal pellet count is considered a suitable census method but its use is limited due to the absence of data concerning the daily mean defecation rate of the species. The aim of this work is therefore to estimate the daily mean defecation rate of L. t. varronis in a controlled environment in order to allow the implementation of subsequent studies on population density and dynamics. A mean defecation rate of 411.7 ± 41.3 pellets/day per hare was estimated on the 14 breeding Alpine hares that were included in the study.