Spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence of tigers and leopards within a protected area in central India

The global decline of large carnivore populations warrants scientific insights into intraguild relationships. Patterns of co-occurrence among sympatric predators are governed by their density, distribution, diet, activity overlaps, and behavioural strategies. Tigers are sympatric with leopards across their distribution range, overlap substantially in their diet, and are both nocturnal. The subdominant leopard is believed to coexist with tigers via several mechanisms like spatial segregation, temporal avoidance, and differential prey selection. Investigation of spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence of tigers and leopards can provide insights on mechanisms that permit coexistence. We used camera trap-based photo captures of tigers and leopards in prey-rich (inline-formula58.15±10.61 ungulates per inline-formulakm²) Pench Tiger Reserve to determine their spatio-temporal patterns of co-occurrence. Spatially explicit density estimates of tigers were approximately 5 per 100 inline-formulakm² and leopards were approximately 4.5 per 100 inline-formulakm² and remained stable over the years. This implies that both these co-predators are likely to attain carrying capacity within the study area. Areas with high tiger density had lower leopard density. Quantile regression analysis between tiger and leopard density at inline-formula2×2 km grid showed that leopard density had a parabolic relationship with tiger density, initially increasing with tigers (inline-formulaβ=0.393; inline-formulap=0.001), stable at medium tiger density (inline-formulaβ=0.13 and inline-formulap=0.15), and declining at high tiger densities (inline-formula $M10inlinescrollmathml\mathrm{italic\; \beta }=-\mathrm{normal\; 0.37}$ 51pt12ptsvg-formulamathimg6b61261063f034424f84978781f3f400 we-23-17-2023-ie00001.svg51pt12ptwe-23-17-2023-ie00001.png and inline-formulap<0.001). Both tigers and leopards were crepuscular in nature with no temporal segregation (inline-formulaΔ=89 %). Time lag of consecutive leopard photograph after a tiger capture ranged between 0.002 to 36.29 d. Leopard use of trails was not related to use by tigers. Our results suggest that leopards adjust their usage of space at fine scales to avoid confrontations with tigers. We also observed high temporal overlap and no spatio-temporal segregation between tigers and leopards, despite the two predators being nocturnal and having similar prey choices. The availability of ample prey within the study area is likely to be the driving factor of the co-occurrence of tigers and leopards within this dry deciduous habitat of central India.