title: A comparative study on the paths of five anura species.
abstract: The movements of five species of European toads were recorded in the daytime and at night in a 3×3 m area. The paths obtained were analyzed according to the first order correlated random walk model developed by Bovet and Benhamou with which it is possible to characterize each path with two independent indices: its sinuosity and its speed. The analysis showed that the day/night variable affected the sinuosity of the paths but not their mean speed. Significant differences between species were found to exist, however, in the case of both the sinuosity and the speed. It is worth noting that these interspecific behavioural differences did not match the classical phylogenetic classification, as shown by multiple comparison tests.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Producció animal, Universitat de Lleida, Av. Rovira 177, 25198 Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sanuy
authors.affiliation: FAPSE, Université de Genève, 9 route de Drize, 1227 Carouge, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bovet