We report on the first study to track the spatial behaviors of wild giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)using high-resolution global positioning system(GPS)telemetry.Between 2008 and 2009,4 pandas(2 male and 2 fe-male)were tracked in Foping Reserve,China for an average of 305 days(±54.8 SE).Panda home ranges were larger than those of previous very high frequency tracking studies,with a bimodal distribution of space-use and distinct winter and summer centers of activity.Home range sizes were larger in winter than in summer,although there was considerable individual variability.All tracked pandas exhibited individualistic,unoriented and multi-phasic movement paths,with a high level of tortuosity within seasonal core habitats and directed,linear,large-scale movements between habitats.Pandas moved from low elevation winter habitats to high elevation(>2000 m)summer habitats in May,when temperatures averaged 17.5°C(±0.3 SE),and these large-scale movements took<1 month to complete.The peak in panda mean elevation occurred in Jul,after which they began slow,large-scale movements back to winter habitats that were completed in Nov.An adult female panda made 2 long-distance movements during the mating season.Pandas remain close to rivers and streams during winter,possi-bly reflecting the elevated water requirements to digest their high-fiber food.Panda movement path tortuosity and first-passage-time as a function of spatial scale indicated a mean peak in habitat search effort and patch use of approximately 700 m.Despite a high degree of spatial overlap between panda home ranges,particularly in winter,we detected neither avoidance nor attraction behavior between conspecifics.
