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Author (up) Krofel, M., Groff, C., Oberosler, V., Augugliaro, C., Rovero, F.
Title Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) predation and consumption of an adult yak in the Mongolian Altai. Type Note
Year 2021 Publication Ethology Ecology & Evolution Abbreviated Journal EEE
Volume Issue Pages 1-8
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Abstract The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an apex predator of mountainous ecosystems in Central Asia, characterised by relatively long feeding times and low kill rates (Johansson et al. 2015; Mallon et al. 2016). Predation is mainly focused on wild ungulates and the vast majority of animals killed by snow leopards are smaller than 100 kg (Lovari et al. 2013). Throughout most of their range, Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), and argali (Ovis ammon) represent the most important prey (Hunter 2015). These species weigh up to 180 kg, which was suggested to be near the maximum limit of the prey size that snow leopard can handle (i.e. about 3 times its size) (e.g. Schaller 1977; Hunter 2015). Accordingly, researchers generally assume that prey like adult yaks (Bos grunniens) with an average body weight of 250 kg (Bagchi & Mishra 2006), are too large to be killed by snow leopards (e.g. Devkota et al. 2013; Chetri et al. 2017). In contrast, local livestock herders report that snow leopard can also kill larger prey, including adult yaks (e.g. Li et al. 2013; Suryawanshi et al. 2013), but confirmed records of snow leopard killing prey of this size appear to be lacking in the literature. We also have very limited knowledge about the consumption of snow leopard kills, and the scavengers, including conspecifics, that are using them (Fox & Chundawat 2016; Schaller 2016). Here we report on a predation event and the following consumption process of a snow leopard kill, a free-roaming adult female yak, which we studied in 2019 using snow tracking, direct observation and camera trapping in the Mongolian Altai.
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Call Number Serial 1634
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Author (up) Lovari, S., Ventimiglia, M., Minder, I.
Title Food habits of two leopard species, competition, climate change and upper treeline: a way to the decrease of an endangered species? Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication Ethology Ecology & Evolution Abbreviated Journal
Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 305-318
Keywords carnivore evolution, coexistence, sympatric species, diet, Panthera uncia, Panthera pardus.
Abstract For carnivore species, spatial avoidance is one of the evolutionary solutions to

coexist in an area, especially if food habits overlap and body sizes tend to coincide.

We reviewed the diets of two large cats of similar sizes, the endangered snow leopard

(Panthera uncia, 16 studies) and the near-threatened common leopard (Panthera par-

dus, 11 studies), in Asia. These cats share ca 10,000 km2 of their mountainous range,

although snow leopards tend to occur at a significantly higher altitude than common

leopards, the former being a cold-adapted species of open habitats, whereas the latter

is an ecologically flexible one, with a preference for woodland. The spectrum of prey

of common leopards was 2.5 times greater than that of snow leopards, with wild prey

being the staple for both species. Livestock rarely contributed much to the diet. When

the breadth of trophic niches was compared, overlap ranged from 0.83 (weight categories)

to one (main food categories). As these leopard species have approximately

the same size and comparable food habits, one can predict that competition will arise

when they live in sympatry. On mountains, climate change has been elevating the

upper forest limit, where both leopard species occur. This means a habitat increase

for common leopards and a substantial habitat reduction for snow leopards, whose

range is going to be squeezed between the forest and the barren rocky altitudes, with

medium- to long-term undesirable effects on the conservation of this endangered cat
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Notes Approved no
Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1403
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