Snow Leopard and Himalayan Wolf: Food Habits and Prey Selection in the Central Himalayas, Nepal.

摘要: Top carnivores play an important role in maintaining energy flow and functioning of the ecosystem, a clear understanding their diets foraging strategies is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. In this paper, we compared prey selection snow leopards wolves based on analyses genotyped scats (snow n = 182, 57), collected within 26 sampling grid cells (5×5 km) that were distributed across vast landscape ca 5000 km2 Central Himalayas, Nepal. Within cells, sampled abundances using double observer method. We found interspecific differences diet composition reflected respective habitat preferences, i.e. significantly preferred cliff-dwelling wild ungulates (mainly bharal, 57% identified material scat samples), whereas typically plain-dwellers (Tibetan gazelle, kiang argali, 31%). Livestock was consumed less frequently than proportional availability by both predators leopard 27%; wolf 24%), but significant avoidance only detected among leopards. Among livestock species, horses goats, avoided yaks, used sheep as available. factors influencing Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Wolves showed seasonal occurrence small mammals/birds, probably due to winter hibernation prey, marmots. For leopard, depended sex latitude. Wild increased while decreased from south north, latitudinal gradient availability. occurred more male (males: 47%, females: 21%), females 48%, 70%). The sexual difference agrees with previous telemetry studies other large carnivores, may reflect high-risk high-gain strategy males.