Abstract
Leopards (Panthera pardus) are the most widely distributed wild felid in the world, living sympatrically with numerous competitively dominant species in various large carnivore guilds. Leopards generally feed on small to medium-sized ungulates and risk kleptoparasitism from intraguild competitors. One unique, adaptive response to intraguild competition is arboreal caching (‘hoisting’) by leopards. Hoisting behaviour is thought to vary in frequency among individuals, populations, and between sexes. In our study, leopards fed primarily (85% of observed kills) on impala (Aepyceros melampus), which is the most locally abundant potential prey species. Although we did not detect statistical differences in hoisting rates among individuals within each sex, our results confirmed moderate hoisting rates of 35% in an area with medium densities of lions (Panthera leo), spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus). Sex differences in prey hoisting were related to size, and males as the large...
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