<p>The leopard cat (<i>Prionailurus bengalensis</i>), a small-sized member of the family Felidae, is endangered in many Asian countries, including Korea. This study, conducted from 2017 to 2018 on reclaimed land that was previously a mudflat on South Korea’s west coast, estimated the home range and habitat preference of leopard cats using three common approaches and land cover maps. We collected 31,106 GPS points from tracking data on 15 individuals (11 males and 4 females). The home range of leopard cats varied from 3.41km<sup>2</sup> to 15.18km<sup>2</sup> based on the minimum convex polygon (MCP), while core areas (50% kernel density estimate, KDE) ranged from 0.15km<sup>2</sup> to 1.44km<sup>2</sup>. Seasonal variations in home range sizes were observed, particularly by sex, with males generally having larger home ranges. However, there was no significant difference in the mean total home range and core area sizes between the sexes. Although the available habitat types in the study area were predominantly readjustment rice paddy fields (57% by KDE and 58% by Brownian Bridge Movement Model), habitat preference assessed by Ivlev’s Electivity Index suggest that leopard cats tend to avoid human-influenced land types, including readjustment rice paddy fields.</p>

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Spatial ecology of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Korea: seasonal and sexual variation in home range and habitat preference

  • Ohsun Lee,
  • Gantulga Gankhuyag,
  • Yeong-Seok Jo

摘要

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a small-sized member of the family Felidae, is endangered in many Asian countries, including Korea. This study, conducted from 2017 to 2018 on reclaimed land that was previously a mudflat on South Korea’s west coast, estimated the home range and habitat preference of leopard cats using three common approaches and land cover maps. We collected 31,106 GPS points from tracking data on 15 individuals (11 males and 4 females). The home range of leopard cats varied from 3.41km2 to 15.18km2 based on the minimum convex polygon (MCP), while core areas (50% kernel density estimate, KDE) ranged from 0.15km2 to 1.44km2. Seasonal variations in home range sizes were observed, particularly by sex, with males generally having larger home ranges. However, there was no significant difference in the mean total home range and core area sizes between the sexes. Although the available habitat types in the study area were predominantly readjustment rice paddy fields (57% by KDE and 58% by Brownian Bridge Movement Model), habitat preference assessed by Ivlev’s Electivity Index suggest that leopard cats tend to avoid human-influenced land types, including readjustment rice paddy fields.