Camera trapping reveals habitat overlap between snow leopards and common leopards in Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal.
Habitat overlap between snow leopards and common leopards in Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56510/slr.v2.15430Keywords:
Camera traps, Habitat overlap, Lapchi valley, Panthera uncia, Panthera pardusAbstract
We provide camera trap records of the presence of two large predators: the snow leopard Panthera uncia and common leopard Panthera pardus from the same habitats in Lapchi Valley of Gaurishankar Conservation Area. Camera traps were laid for 2,304 (mean 88.62 Å} SD 103.34) trap nights in 26 locations (elevation range: 2,140 to 4,350 m, area: 141.63 km2). A total of 55, 219 pictures were recorded from November 2022 to May 2023. Out of 26 camera stations, two camera stations captured the images of both species at an altitude of 4,000 m and 4,260 m in Lapchi Valley. The Relative Abundance Indices of snow leopards and common leopards were 7.51 SD 6.35 and 9.84 SD 6.35 per 100 trap days/nights, and independent detection rates were 0.41 and 0.52 respectively. This is the first evidence of habitat overlap between two large vulnerable predators in Gaurishankar Conservation Area. The nature of the coexistence or competition between these predators needs further investigation.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Madhu Chetri, Purna Bahadur Ale, Morten Odden, Prof.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors contributing to Snow Leopard Reports retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to the Snow Leopard Network. Read the journal's full Copyright- and Licensing Policy.