High waterhole visitation rate by a breeding female snow leopard in summer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56510/slr.v3.23251Keywords:
water, critical resources, climate change, Gobi DesertAbstract
Water is a limiting resource in arid environments where space use of animals is often driven by access to water during the dry times of the year. Here we report on a breeding female snow leopard visiting a waterhole 37 times in June and July in 2015. These observations show that space use of snow leopards can be driven strongly by access to water during certain times of the year such as when lactating and the need for water is increased. Strong dependence on water during certain times of the year suggest that climate change and high human pressure on limited water sources may have negative impact on snow leopards and other wildlife in the mountains of High Asia.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Purevjav Lkhagvajav, Justine Shanti Alexander, Choidogjamts Byambasuren, Örjan Johansson, Koustubh Sharma, Charudutt Mishra, Gustaf Samelius
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