Foraging ecology and relative abundance of large carnivores in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India

Abstract

The food habits and relative abundance of large carnivores was studied through scat analysis technique in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary from November 2002 to April 2003. A total of 377 scats (103 of Tiger, 188 of Leopard and 86 of Dhole) were analysed. The niche breadth, niche overlap and diversity indices of the diet were calculated. The relative abundance of large carnivores in different habitats was assessed based on the number of scats encountered per kilometer. The result showed that the major part of the diet of all the three large carnivores were from Spotted Deer and Sambar. The Leopard showed a higher diversity and niche breadth in its diet compared to the Tiger. Niche overlap analysis showed that a strong overlap exists between large carnivores. All the large carnivores showed more preference to undisturbed habitat and less preference to evergreen habitat. The result has shown high implication in understanding the predator-prey dynamics and preference of large carnivores to different habitats.