The carnivore community in a dry tropical forest mosaic in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACT An assessment of carnivore species richness and food habits was carried out in a 100 km 2 area of dry tropical forest in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Twenty-one carnivore species of five families were found to be feeding on at least 34 mammal species, as well as birds, lizards, snakes, crabs, fish, insects, and fruits. Forty-four percent of the prey identified in faeces of larger carnivores, primarily leopards, consisted of barking deer, Muntiacus muntjak. Sambar deer, macaques, wild boar, porcupine, and hog badger were important secondary prey items. In faeces from small carnivores (< 10kg), murid rodents accounted for 33% of identified food items. The two most frequently encountered mammalian prey species were the yellow rajah rat, Maxomys surifer , and the bay bamboo rat, Cannomys badius . Non-mammal prey accounted for 21.3%, and fruit seeds for 12.4%, of all food items found in small carnivore faeces.