Growth and carapacial colour variation of the leopard tortoise, Geochelone pardalis babcocki, in northern Tanzania

Observations were made of growth rate and variation in colour pattern of the leopard tortoise ( Geochelone pardalis babcocki ) in northern Tanzania between October 1993 and June 1996. Growth rate differed significantly between tortoises, with immature animals (6.9 ± 1.4 mm month⁻¹) and females (5.7 ± 1.3 mm month⁻¹) exhibiting higher rates of growth than adult animals (2.9 ± 0.8 mm month⁻¹) and males (3.2 ± 1.1 mm month⁻¹), respectively. The faster growth rate in immature animals suggested that growth rate declined with age. The difference in growth rates between the sexes was ascribed to sexual dimorphism, adult females being larger and therefore growing faster than males.
The carapacial colour pattern observed in the northern Tanzanian tortoises was generally similar to that described elsewhere in the species' range. The colour pattern varied between Arusha and Serengeti District tortoises. Animals at the Arusha sites tended to be sparsely coloured (55.6%) compared to the Serengeti tortoises, which had a buff colouration with radiating spots (89.3%).; The sparse colouration provides effective camouflage in the drier Arusha habitats, as does the buff colouration with black spots in the wetter, darker habitats in the Serengeti.     

No silver bullet? Snow leopard prey selection in Mt. Kangchenjunga,Nepal

In this study, we investigated the impact of domestic and wild prey availability on snow leopard prey preference in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area of eastern Nepal—a region where small domestic livestock are absent and small wild ungulate prey are present. We took a comprehensive approach that combined fecal genetic sampling, macro‐ and microscopic analyses of snow leopard diets, and direct observation of blue sheep and livestock in the KCA. Out of the collected 88 putative snow leopard scat samples from 140 transects (290 km) in 27 (4 × 4 km²) sampling grid cells, 73 (83%) were confirmed to be from snow leopard. The genetic analysis accounted for 19 individual snow leopards (10 males and 9 females), with a mean population size estimate of 24 (95% CI: 19–29) and an average density of 3.9 snow leopards/100 km² within 609 km². The total available prey biomass of blue sheep and yak was estimated at 355,236 kg (505 kg yak/km² and 78 kg blue sheep/km²). From the available prey biomass, we estimated snow leopards consumed 7% annually, which comprised wild prey (49%), domestic livestock (45%), and 6% unidentified items. The estimated 47,736 kg blue sheep biomass gives a snow leopard‐to‐blue sheep ratio of 1:59 on a weight basis. The high preference of snow leopard to domestic livestock appears to be influenced by a much smaller available biomass of wild prey than in other regions of Nepal (e.g., 78 kg/km² in the KCA compared with a range of 200–300 kg/km² in other regions of Nepal). Along with livestock insurance scheme improvement, there needs to be a focus on improved livestock guarding, predator‐proof corrals as well as engaging and educating local people to be citizen scientists on the importance of snow leopard conservation, involving them in long‐term monitoring programs and promotion of ecotourism.     

RAPD marker estimation of genetic structure among isolated northern leopard frog populations in the south-western USA

Amphibians in the south-western United States are currently experiencing population declines. Causal explanations for these population changes as well as the implementation of sound management practices requires an understanding of the genetic structure of natural amphibian populations. To this end, we estimated genetic differences within and among seven isolated populations of northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens , from Arizona and southern Utah using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. Fourteen arbitrarily designed primers detected 38 polymorphic loci in 85 individual frogs. Three types of population structure were observed in this study. (i) Two populations showed low genetic diversity ( D = 0.10 and 0.04) and may have been established by relatively recent events. (ii) Two were not genetically distinct and exhibited a high degree of within-population diversity ( D = 0.35). The possibility of gene flow between these populations is high due to their geographical proximity and their shared genetic structure. (iii) Three populations were genetically distinct from each other and the other populations, and exhibited intermediate within-population variation ( D = 0.19, 0.17, 0.14). Genetic distances among the seven populations ranged from 0.00 to 0.20, suggesting that some of these leopard frog populations are genetically distinct. Although based on relatively small samples, these data suggest that leopard frog populations in the south-west are likely to represent unique genetic entities worthy of conservation. The management implications of these results are that isolated leopard frog populations should be evaluated on an individual basis to best preserve them.     

Diet and prey profiles of three sympatric large carnivores in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India

We conducted a field study of diets of three sympatric large carnivores, the tiger Panthera tigris , the leopard Panthera pardus and the dhole Cuon alpinus in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India, based on analyses of 381, 111 and 181 scats, respectively. The frequency of occurrence of prey items in scats was converted to relative biomass and number of prey consumed using regression equations based on earlier feeding trials. The results showed that although these predators kill ∼11–15 species of vertebrate prey, relatively abundant ungulate species provide 88–97% of biomass consumed by them. Although the dietary niche overlap among the three species was high (Pianka's index of 0.75–0.93), some specialized predation was observed. The largest ungulates, gaur Bos gaurus and sambar Cervus unicolor , provided 73% of biomass consumed by tigers, whereas medium-sized chital Axis axis and wild pig Sus scrofa formed 65 and 83% of the biomass intake of leopards and dholes, respectively. In terms of the relative numbers of prey animals killed by the three predators, chital, which is the most abundant prey species, dominated their diets (tiger=33%, leopard=39% and dhole=73%). The results of the study, in conjunction with earlier work, support the prediction that abundance of ungulate prey species, as well as their availability in different size classes, are both critical factors that facilitate sympatry among the three predators.     

Tiger and leopard co-occurrence: intraguild interactions in response to human and livestock disturbance

Intraguild interactions have important implications for carnivore demography and conservation. Differences in how predators respond to different forms of disturbance might alter their interaction patterns. We sought to understand how human and livestock disturbance impact co-occurrence of sympatric large carnivores such as tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (P. pardus) and thereby mediate the intraguild interaction pattern to enable coexistence of the species in a human-dominated landscape. We surveyed 361 locations in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, to examine how prey abundance and disturbance factors such as human and livestock presence might influence habitat use by tigers and leopards independently and when co-occurring. Single-species single-season models and two-species single-season models were developed to examine hypotheses on unconditional detection and occupancy and species interaction respectively. Pervasive human use of the park had negative impacts on tiger occupancy while the abundance of prey had a positive influence. Despite significant prey overlap between tigers and leopards, none of the native prey species predicted leopard habitat occupancy. However, habitats used extensively by livestock were also used by leopards. Further, we found strong evidence of intraguild competition. For instance tiger occupancy was higher in prey-rich areas and leopard occupancy was low in the sites where tigers were present. These findings, and a species interaction factor of < 1 clearly indicate that leopards avoid tigers, but their use of areas of disturbance enables them to persist in fringe habitats. We provide empirical evidence of how intraguild interaction may result in habitat segregation between competing carnivores, while also showing that human and livestock use of the landscape create disturbance patterns that facilitate co-occurrence of the predators. Thus, because large carnivores compete, some disturbance may mediate coexistence in small protected areas. Understanding such interactions can help address important conservation challenges associated with maintaining diverse carnivore communities in small or disturbed landscapes.     

甘肃省豹的生存现状调查

豹曾广泛分布于甘肃省的陇中、陇东和陇南各地,但历史上大部分有豹分布地区的生境现已明显地不再适宜豹的生存。依据访问调查得到的信息并结合实地考察生境进行综合判断,目前豹存在可能性较大的地区有平凉地区的关山林业总场、张家川县马鹿林场、小陇山林业局张家林场和白水江国家级自然保护区。甘肃省豹濒危的主要原因是栖息地面积退缩,栖息地环境质量恶化,生境破碎化和人为猎捕。鉴于现阶段尚未查清豹的野生种群数量,应对豹及其猎物资源进行野外监测,采取积极有效的措施加强豹栖息地的保护与恢复。     

东北虎豹生物多样性红外相机监测平台概述

东北虎豹生物多样性红外相机监测平台始建于2006年, 位于中国东北温带针阔混交林区, 覆盖老爷岭、张广才岭和完达山, 面积达1.5万多平方公里。平台的监测目标是从生态系统水平上对东北虎(Panthera tigris altaica)、东北豹(P. pardus orientalis)、有蹄类猎物及同域分布的其他哺乳动物、森林栖息生境、环境要素和人类活动等进行全面系统的调查和观测。截至2019年6月, 平台产生视频记录超过78.5万条, 有效相机工作日173.6万多天, 记录了28种野生兽类和32种野生鸟类。另外, 利用红外相机平台已经在野生动物多样性本底调查、虎豹种群分布、数量与扩散限制、同域食肉动物种间关系、动物生境利用等方面取得一些成果, 同时为东北虎豹国家公园生物多样性监测、评估和管理提供了科技支撑。     

基于粪便DNA的雪豹种群调查和遗传多样性

雪豹 (Panthera uncia) 是仅分布于亚洲高海拔山区的珍稀濒危猫科动物.本研究在印度西南部(Ladakh)、中国青海和蒙古国的南部(南Gobi)3个独立的雪豹分布区共采集109份粪便样品.应用线粒体DNA(mtDNA) cyt b基因特异性引物对109份粪便样品进行鉴定,发现有31份粪便来自雪豹,其中印度Ladakh、我国青海和蒙古国南Gobi的雪豹样品分别为17份、3份和11份.利用重新筛选设计的7对家猫(Felis catus)微卫星引物,对雪豹粪便样品进行了基因分型分析,结果发现在Ladakh和南Gobi检测到的雪豹粪便样品分别来自4只和5只不同的雪豹个体,而青海的样品则来自同一只雪豹;遗传多样性统计分析表明,蒙古国南Gobi的雪豹微卫星遗传多样性水平低于印度的Ladakh.研究结果表明了粪便DNA在雪豹种群监测和遗传多样性研究中的可行性.     

中国雪豹的威胁与保护现状

大部分保护机构只有能力在特定种群层面上保护大型食肉动物, 而物种的灭绝风险却是在全球尺度进行评估的。因此, 要填补这一尺度断层, 多机构的工作与意见汇总非常必要。本研究综合了文献和18家中国雪豹(Panthera uncia)研究与保护机构共24位一线工作人员提供的信息, 经过两次集体讨论和填写评分表格的方式, 识别出21种威胁因素, 在全国层面和青海、西藏、新疆、四川和甘肃5个主要雪豹分布省区层面对威胁进行了排序, 并汇总了各保护机构实施的17项保护行动, 以及各项行动所应对的威胁。全国评分前三的威胁依次是基层保护部门能力不足(9.5分)、气候变化(8.0分)、当地社区保护动力不足(6.8分), 不同省区的威胁排序则体现出很大差异性。其中, 目前仍没有任何行动措施应对气候变化。虽然已有一些保护行动来应对基层保护能力不足和当地社区保护动力不足的问题, 如保护区能力建设、开展社区监测等, 但行动的覆盖尺度仍远远不够。     

DENSITY AND HAUL-OUT BEHAVIOR OF LEOPARD SEALS (HYDRURGA LEPTONYX) IN PRYDZ BAY, ANTARCTICA

The spatial distribution of leopard seals along the fast-ice edge in the austral spring and summer of 1992 and 1993 in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, was determined by aerial surveys. Fewer individuals were observed within the area, and the seals observed were larger, in 1992 than in 1993. Comparison of the distributions and relative sizes of the seals suggests that there may be an age-related difference in spatial behavior. The greater degree of separation among older seals may be due to intraspecific aggression increasing with age, a hypothesis supported by the high incidence of intraspecific scarring noted on leopard seals in this region. The seals'haul-out behavior was negatively related to wind-chill index.