IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Schmidt, K.; Nakanishi, N.; Izawa, M.; Okamura, M.; Watanabe, S.; Tanaka, S.; Doi, T. | |
| The reproductive tactics and activity patterns of solitary carnivores: the Iriomote cat | |
| 2009 Journal of Ethology (27): 165-174 | |
Felids are generally considered to be crepuscular and nocturnal in their activity, but few studies have attempted to analyze the variability of their activity patterns. We studied the daily activity of the Iriomote cat _Prionailurus iriomotensis _by radio-tracking on Iriomote Island, Japan. The general activity patterns of Iriomote cats showed slightly prevailing activity during dark periods of the day with particular peaks at dawn and dusk or during the early hours of the night. However, these patterns were clearly dependent on the sex and reproductive status of the cat. Peaks of cats' activity coincided with those of their main prey. On average, the cats were active for thirteen hours per day. During the mating season, the rhythm of activity in males followed that of breeding females, but not that of non-breeding ones. Males exhibited 11% higher total daily activity and longer active bouts during the mating period than in the remainder of the year. Breeding females had additional mid-day activity peak during the nursing period, but their total time of activity per day was 16% lower than in the period of kittens' independence. Their active bouts were shorter and more frequent during nursing than at other times. These results suggest that lactating females perform frequent movements to and from the den site to care for kittens. During the non-nursing period, females increased their activity, possibly in response to lowered prey abundance and the need of intensive foraging to recover after lactation. Seasonal and sexual variation of activity patterns in the Iriomote cats confirmed the existence of different reproductive strategies of males and females of these solitary carnivores. |
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