Den site selection by golden jackal (Canis aureus) in a semi arid forest ecosystem in western india

Abstract

The availability of dens in habitat is essential for successful recruitment and it is confining factor for the distribution and abundance of den dependent species. Present study was conducted in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India. To determine the most influential variable for selectivity of den sites by golden jackal (Canis aureus), data on habitat characteristics were studied at two scales. The physical structure and protective capabilities of dens were studied at small scale (microsite selection) by use- availability design along with discrete choice models. The selection of den in relation to environmental factors was studied at larger scale (macrosite selection) using binary logistic regression in generalized linear model. Thirty six jackal dens were observed in the study area (0.23 den/km2). The hypothesis received support as a factor for den site selection was ‘ease of excavation’ at micro scale (314 m2) and ‘cover and resource’ at macro scale (3.14 km2). Areas with high cover were observed having less number of dens (r = -0.76, p =0.02) at significant level. Variables favoring natal den selection was no different than overall selected den sites. Jackal showed no significant avoidance for large carnivore presence where, rodent abundance and visibility were the important predictors for den- sites selection in the study area.