How do red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) explore their environment? Characteristics of movement patterns in time and space

Many animals must adapt their movements to different conditions encountered during different life phases, such as when exploring extraterritorial areas for dispersal, foraging or breeding. To better understand how animals move in different movement phases, we asked whether movement patterns differ between one way directed movements, such as during the transient phase of dispersal or two way exploratory-like movements such as during extraterritorial excursions or stationary movements.

We GPS collared red foxes in a rural area in southern Germany between 2020 and 2023. Using a random forest model, we analyzed different movement parameters, habitat features-for example landclasses and distances to linear structures-and time variables (season and time of day) within red fox exploratory, transient and stationary movement phases to characterize phase specific movement patterns and to investigate the influence of different variables on classifying the movement phases.

According to the classification model, the movement patterns in the different phases were characterized most strongly by the variables persistence velocity, season, step length and distance to linear structures. In extraterritorial areas, red foxes either moved straight with high persistence velocity, close to anthropogenic linear structures during transient movements, or more tortuously containing a higher variance in turning angles and a decrease in persistence velocity during exploratory-like movements. Transient movements mainly took place during autumn, whereas exploratory-like movements were mainly conducted during winter and spring.

Movement patterns of red foxes differ between transient, exploratory and stationary phases, reflecting displacement, searching and resident movement strategies. Our results signify the importance of the combined effect of using movement, habitat and time variables together in analyzing movement phases. High movement variability may allow red foxes to navigate in extraterritorial areas efficiently and to adapt to different environmental and behavioral conditions.