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Mei, S., Alexander, J. S., Zhao, X., Cheng, C., Lu, Z. (2018). Common leopard and snow leopard co-existence in Sanjiangyuan,Qinghai, China. Cat News, (67), 18–20.
Abstract: The snow leopard Panthera uncia, classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, is distributed
across the mountainous areas of 12 countries in South and Central Asia. The common
leopard Panthera pardus, also classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, has the widest
geographic distribution among all wild cats and inhabits many countries of Africa
and Asia. The common leopard is much bigger than the snow leopard. Sightings of
both species in the same location have recently been reported from the Autonomous
Region of Tibet and Sichuan, China. We conducted a camera trap survey to verify the
presence of these large carnivores using camera traps in Niandu and Yunta villages
of Qinghai province, China. In both areas camera trap stations captured both species,
identifying seven adult snow leopard and four adult common leopard individuals.
Our study provides the first photographic evidence of common leopard presence in
Qinghai province and confirms the co-existence of snow leopards and common leopards
in the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve. A more detailed study will be
conducted to investigate the distribution and interaction of the two species along
Tongtianhe and Zhaqu rivers, Qinghai province, in order to enhance efforts for their
long-term conservation.
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Johansson, O., Koehler, G., Rauset, G. R.< Samelius, G., Andren, H., Mishra, C., Lhagvarsuren, P., McCarthy, T., Low, M. (2018). Sex specific seasonal variation in puma and snow leopard home range utilization. Ecosphere, 9(8), 1–14.
Abstract: Territory size is often larger for males than for females in species without biparental care. For large solitary carnivores, this is explained by males encompassing a set of female territories to monopolize their reproduction during mating (area maximization). However, males are expected to behave more like females outside of breeding, with their area utilization being dependent on the range required to secure food resources (area minimization). To examine how male and female solitary carnivores adjust their spatial organization during the year as key resources (mates and prey) change, we radio‐collared 17 pumas (Puma concolor; nine males and eight females) and 14 snow leopards (Panthera uncia; seven males and seven females) and estimated home range size and overlap on two temporal scales (annual vs. monthly). Contrary to expectation, we found no evidence that males monopolized females (the mean territory overlap between females and the focal male during the mating season was 0.28 and 0.64 in pumas and snow leopards, respectively). Although male�male overlap of annual home ranges was comparatively high (snow leopards [0.21] vs. pumas [0.11]), monthly home range overlaps were small (snow leopards [0.02] vs. pumas [0.08]) suggesting strong territoriality. In pumas, both males and females reduced their monthly home ranges in winter, and at the same time, prey distribution was clumped and mating activity increased. In snow leopards, females showed little variation in seasonal home range size, following the seasonal stability in their primary prey. However, male snow leopards reduced their monthly home range utilization in the mating season. In line with other studies, our results suggest that female seasonal home range variation is largely explained by changes in food resource distribution. However, contrary to expectations, male territories did not generally encompass those of females, and males reduced their home ranges during mating. Our results show that male and female territorial boundaries tend to intersect in these species, and hint at the operation of female choice and male mate guarding within these mating systems.
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Karnaukhov, A. S., Malykh, S. V., Korablev, M. P., Kalashnikova, Y. M., Poyarkov, A. D., Rozhnov, V. V. (2018). Current Status of the Eastern Sayan Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) Grouping and Its Nutritive Base. Biology Bulletin, 45(9), 1106–1115.
Abstract: A field survey of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) habitats was carried out in the southeastern part of
the Eastern Sayan Mountains (Okinskii and Tunkinskii districts of the Republic of Buryatia and the Kaa-
Khemskii district of Tuva Republic). Seven or eight adult snow leopards were observed as constant inhabitants
of the Tunkinskie Gol'tsy, Munku-Sardyk, and Bol'shoi Sayan mountain ridges. The presence of eight
snow leopards was confirmed using DNA-based analyses of scats collected in 2014 – 2016. The main prey species
of the snow leopard in Eastern Sayan is the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), but its abundance has steadily
decreased over the past 20 years. The red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the wild boar (Sus scrofa), which were
some of the most numerous ungulates in the survey area, are replacing the Siberian ibex in the snow leopard's
diet. In addition, the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) is also of importance to the snow leopard's diet.
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