Population density, spatiotemporal use and diet of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in a human-modified succession forest landscape of Singapore

Abstract

Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) are wild felids that have been reported to thrive in human-modified habitats in Asia. It has been suggested that they may be adapters of plantation forests by exploiting the availability of murid prey and are abundant in these habitats. However, these hypotheses have yet to be tested or quantified. Here, camera trapping, qualitative and quantitative diet analyses were used to determine the occurrence, population density, activity pattern and diet of leopard cats in human-modified habitats in Singapore. Leopard cat density and habitat use were higher in oil palm monoculture environs compared to secondary forests and were negatively related with canopy closure and distance from plantation. Leopard cats were exclusively nocturnal in the monoculture area, but also exhibited diurnal activity in secondary forests. Consumption of nocturnal murids was significantly higher in the monocultures than secondary forests. Our results provide evidence that leopard cats thrive in oil palm monocultures where they forage on murid prey.