IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ramesh, T. | |
| Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores: tiger _Panthera tigris_, leopard _Panthera pardus_ and dhole _Cuon alpinus_ in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu | |
| 2010 Full Book | |
A detailed long-term study on prey selection, food habits and population status of three sympatric large carnivores (tiger, leopard and dhole) was documented during the present study. In many protected areas upto date scientific information on this aspect remains negligible. To supplement the current basic information, the present study was conducted in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu from January 2008 to April 2010. The objectives of the study include estimating density, group size and composition of prey species of sympatric carnivores, to study the food habits and prey selectivity of sympatric carnivores and to estimate the population of the sympatric carnivores. Prey species availability was estimated using line transect method in an intensive study area of 107 km2 comprising of deciduous forest (moist and dry deciduous). Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores were studied using two methods i.e. by evaluating kills and analyzing scat. The analysis of scats and kills confirmed that tiger killed mainly large body sized prey, but dholes and the leopard largely killed medium sized prey. All three large predator scats contained 26 prey species in which major ungulates and one primate species were commonly shared in their diet. Camera trapping was conducted for large carnivores between March 2008 and April 2010 in Mudumalai in an intensive study area of 107 km2 in deciduous forest (moist and dry deciduous). The estimated population size ranged from 26.7 to 28.9 individuals for tiger and 26.0 to 34.9 individuals for leopard. The present estimate of tiger and leopard density (ñ SE) / 100 km2 using « MMDM and MMDM and Maximum Likelihood methods was 17.7 ñ 3.3, 12.6 ñ 2.9, 11.7 ñ 2.9 and 23.6 ñ 4.0, 20.7.4 ñ 4.1, 14.9 ñ 3.5 respectively. |
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