Activity patterns and habitat use of sympatric small carnivores in southern Taiwan

Abstract

Camera-trapping was used to examine the activity patterns and habitat use of a small carnivore community in southern Taiwan from March 1998 to February 2001. Six small carnivore species occurred in disturbed and successional stage forests in southern Taiwan. The small carnivore community was mainly composed of four species, including small Indian civet Viverricula indica, masked palm civet Paguma larvata, crab-eating mongoose Herpestes urva, and ferret badger Melogale moschata. There were no significant differences of occurrence between dry and wet seasons for small Indian civet, masked palm civet, and ferret badger (p)0.05), whereas occurrence of crab-eating mongoose during the dry season was significantly higher than during the wet season (p-0.02). Small Indian civet were closely correlated to disturbed and mosaic secondary forests and seemed restricted to certain elevations, whereas the distribution of the masked palm civet, crab-eating mongoose, and ferret badger could occur from low to moderate elevations. These results show segregation of temporal distribution and habitat use among these four sympatric carnivore species.