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Habitat use and behavior of three feral cattle were compared to three domestic cattle in the Mapimi Biosphere Reserve, Chihuahuan Desert, where approximately 1000 feral cows were found on 151,000 ha. Feral cattle were found to represent an ecotype adapted to desert conditions. In comparison with domestic cattle, feral animals lived in small group sizes (1-20 animals), had larger home range sizes ((x) over bar = 47 vs. 14 km(2)), traveled longer distances hourly ((x) over bar = 1 vs. 0.3 km/h) and daily ((x) over bar = 20 vs. 7 km/day) and used more kinds of habitats than domestic cattle. Seasonally feral cattle used different kinds of habitats in comparison to domestic cattle which intensively used ephemeral streams throughout the year. Anti-predator strategies in response to hunting by local ranchers are thought to explain the pattern. We suggest this pattern of habitat use could minimize the impact of cattle on desert environments. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.