Use of creeks and gilgaied stony plains by cattle in arid rangelands during a wet summer: a case study with GPS/VHF radio collars

Abstract

Three cattle (Bos taurus) were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to examine their spatial behaviour in the arid stony plains region of Australia. Cattle used creeks (drainage lines) extensively, although grazing frequency was not affected by habitat (creek or stony plains/ tablelands). Cows spent significantly more time in creeks when temperatures (T) were > 40ºC, but not increasingly so as T rose from > 40ºC. The cattle did not disperse widely after rainfall (remaining close to creeks) probably because of high T. Unlike summer rainfall, the combination of surface water and low T during winter rain may facilitate cattle dispersal.