Prey hair remains in leopard faeces at Ruhuna national park

Abstract

The food habits of the leopard (Panthera pardus fusca Meyer, 1794) at the Ruhuna National Park, Sri Lanka, were analysed by the identification of prey hair remains in facces collected during January February 1988,. The major prey, comprising 51perc. of hair-positive scats, was the spotted deer (Cervus axis ceylonensis fisher, 1829). Hair of the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis bubalis Linnaeus, 1758) and the wild pig (Sus scrofa cristatus Wagner, 1839) were collectively present in 45perc. of hair-positive scats. The results confirm those of a previous investigation in showing the importance of buffer prey species such as the water buffalo and wild pig in the diet of the leopard.