Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26
August 2020 | 12(11): 16460–16468
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4489.12.11.16460-16468
#4489 | Received 04 June 2020 | Final
received 16 July 2020 | Finally accepted 18 July 2020
Golden Jackal Canis
aureus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae) distribution pattern
and feeding at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary,
India
Nagarajan Baskaran 1, Ganesan Karthikeyan 2 & Kamaraj Ramkumaran
3
1–3 Department of Zoology, A.V.C.
College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai,
Tamil Nadu 609305, India.
1 nagarajan.baskaran@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 karthikwlb@gmail.com, 3 ramkumarantpg@gmail.com
Editor: Spartaco Gippoliti, Socio Onorario Società Italiana per la Storia della
Fauna “Giuseppe Altobello”, Rome, Italy. Date of publication: 26 August 2020 (online & print)
Citation: Baskaran,
N., G. Karthikeyan & K. Ramkumaran (2020). Golden Jackal Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia:
Carnivora: Canidae) distribution pattern and feeding at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 12(11): 16460–16468. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4489.12.11.16460-16468
Copyright: ©
Baskaran et al. 2020. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies
in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests: The authors declare no
competing interests.
Author details: Nagarajan Baskaran is an Assistant
Professor at the Department of Zoology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous) since 2011.
Worked as Senior Scientist at Asian Elephant Research & Conservation
Centre, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
during 2002–2011. Research Interest: Studying the Behavioural
Ecology Of Wild Asian Elephants and their habitats in southern Indian,
east-central Indian (Eastern & Western Ghats) and parts of north-eastern
(eastern Himalayas), since 1990. Also studying other large mammals like
antelopes, squirrels, sloth bears and assessing biodiversity, impact of
developmental activities on conservation of biodiversity in India. Ganesan
Karthikeyan is presently a biologist at Sathiyamangalam
Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu.Kamaraj Ramkumaran is
presently a research scholar working with Zoological Survey of India, Coral
transplantation/restoration project, Jamnagar, Gujarat 361001, India.
Author contribution: NB-—Study Design,
Supervision, Final Analysis and writing part. GK—Data Collection, Preliminary
Analysis and helping in writing part. KR—Helping in Data Collection,
Preliminary Analysis and in writing part.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Tamil
Nadu State Forest Department, especially Mr. R. Sundarrajan
I.F.S., the then principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife
warden and Mr. S. Ramansubramaniyan I.F.S., former
wildlife warden, Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary,
for their encouragement, permission and logistic support to this study. We extend our sincere thanks to Dr. K. Thiyagesan, principal
A.V.C. College (Autonomous) for necessary support to this study.
Abstract: Golden Jackal Canis aureus, a medium-sized omnivore
belonging to the family Canidae, ranges widely from Europe and extends across
the middle-east to India. It’s adaptable
social system according to the distribution of food resources enabling it to
range widely from desert to evergreen forests, mangroves, rural, and semi-urban
human-agro-ecosystems. Despite its wide distribution, the species
has not received adequate scientific attention in much of its southern India
range. This study was carried out to
assess its distribution pattern, diet composition, and prey preference at Point
Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, a well-known habitat for
the jackal and the only predator of the sanctuary. Data on distribution collected through
extensive field surveys revealed that the species distribution is uniform in
southern and southeastern parts of the sanctuary, in
areas where the habitat is more open with grasslands and mudflats and is patch
in the tropical dry-evergreen habitat.
Analysis of 155 scat samples revealed that the diet comprised 19 species
of food items, including mammals, birds, insects, other invertebrates, and
plant matter characterizing omnivorous nature.
Temporal variation in diet composition—with significantly higher proportion
of birds during winter than in summer—coincides with abundance of prey species
in relation to season, which indicate the opportunistic foraging and hunting
nature of the species. Data on diet
preference showed that jackals in the area preferred Black-naped
Hare, Spotted Dove and Lapwing followed by Chital, Grey Francolin, Cattle
Egret, and Large Egret, while Blackbuck, Bonnet Macaque, and cattle were not
preferred, which is discussed under optimal foraging. The jackal being the only large-sized
predator of this natural system, more detailed studies and effective measures
to conserve the species are vital not only to understand the prey-predator
mechanism, but also to conserve the biodiversity of this unique ecosystem.
Keywords: Diet composition and preference,
spatio-temporal variation in diet, southern India.
INTRODUCTION
The Golden Jackal Canis aureus
is an Old-World medium-sized habitat generalist belonging to the family
Canidae, similar to the Coyote Canis latrans in North America (Bekoff
& Gese 2003) and ranges widely from Europe and
extends across the middle-east to India and southeastern
Asia. The spe-cies
is currently listed as Least Concern (LC) (Hoffmann et al. 2018) and included
in Appendix II of CITES and Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)
Act 1972. Its tolerance to dry
conditions and its omnivorous diet, enable the Golden Jackal to live in a wide
variety of habitats, exceeding 2,000m in elevation, ranging from semi-arid
environments to forested, mangrove, agricultural, rural, and semi-urban
habitats in India and Bangladesh (Clutton-Brock et
al. 1976; Poche et al. 1987). The species with omnivorous and opportunistic
foraging nature feeds on a wide variety of food that varies in space and
time. In Bharatpur,
India, rodents, birds, and fruit comprise the bulk of its food (Sankar 1988), and similarly, in Kanha,
over 80% of its diet comprises rodents, reptiles, and fruits (Schaller 1967);
however, studies on Golden Jackal in Bhal region of
Gujarat (Aiyadurai & Jhala
2006) and recently in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
(Singh et al. 2016) showed higher proportions of large mammals and plant matter
in their diet. While in Europe, the
slaughter remains and other animal waste from livestock, represents
approximately 40% of the jackal diet across the continent (Ćirović et
al. 2016).
Golden Jackals are social animals with an extremely flexible social
organization that varies upon the availability and distribution of food
resources (Macdonald 1979). There is
little quantitative information on jackal densities, habitat use, and ranging patterns
in relation to food availability. And
data on dispersal, survival, and mortality factors of adults, pups, and
dispersing individuals are still a major gap in our understanding (Jhala & Moehlman 2004). Despite its wide distribution, the species hasn’t
received sufficient scientific attention in much of its southern Indian
ranges. Point Calimere
Wildlife Sanctuary, situated on the southern boundary of the Coromandel Coast,
is a well-known habitat for the Golden Jackal (Ali 2005). This study assessed the distribution of
jackal, diet composition, and preference estimating the availability of major
prey species, at Point Calimere Wildlife
Sanctuary.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Study Area
This study was carried out between December 2013 and June 2014 at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary located between the
geographical coordinates 10.27°N, 79.83°E
and 10.33°N, 79.84°E and lies at the confluence of Bay of Bengal and the
Palk Strait, near Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary derives its name as ‘Point Calimere’ for the spot inside the sanctuary, where the
coast takes a 90° turn from the Bay of Bengal towards Palk Strait (Figure
1). The reserve was declared in 1967 (Ramasubramaniyan 2012) mainly for the conservation of
Blackbuck Antelope cervicapra and it
encompasses an area of 30km2 of sandy coast fringed by saline swamps
and thorny scrub around the backwaters.
The coastal area consisting of shore, shallow water, inter-tidal flats,
saline lagoons as well as manmade salt pan sites supports >250 species of
birds, with about 120 being water birds that include vulnerable species like
Spoonbill Sandpiper Euryhoryhynchus pygnaeus, Grey Pelicans Pelecanus
philippensis, and Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, Lesser Flamingo P.
minor and is among the 26 wetlands in India designated as wetlands of
international importance (pointcalimere.org/overview.htm). The sanctuary consists of unique vegetation
types; tropical dry evergreen, open grassland- with patches of open scrub (Ali
2005). Its tropical dry evergreen forest
is considered as the richest tract in the entire country. The grasslands located on its southern part
are the natural habitat of the Blackbuck.
Apart from jackal, which is locally called ‘kullanary’,
the sanctuary is also known for Blackbuck , and other mammals like Chital Axis
axis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa,
Bonnet Macaque Macaca radiata (Muralidharan 1985; Nedumaran
1987; Ramasubramaniyan 2012). A notable feature of the sanctuary is the
presence of feral horses, an introduced species in the ecosystem. Olive Ridley Turtles have been regularly
nesting on the sanctuary beach and during winter, dolphin sighting is common
along the sanctuary coast. The natural
habitats experience pressure from the invasive feral horse (Baskaran et al.
2016, 2020; Arandhara et al. 2020), anthropogenic
pressure from cattle (Nedumaran 1987) and also from
the proliferation of Prosopis juliflora (Ali
2005), an alien invasive shrub species from Central and South America. With
an average density of 14 cattle/km2, the sanctuary experiences
grazing pressure from 300 to 600 cattle/day (Ali 2005).
Distribution pattern
To identify and map the distribution of C. aureus, a
systematic field survey was carried out on foot covering various administrative
units (beats) and forest types of the sanctuary. During the survey, boundaries of
administrative units of forest division were marked on a map in consultation
with the concerned forest officials and official documents available to record
the presence/absence of C. aureus.
Later, through intensive field surveys covering all the habitats, the
distribution of the jackal was identified following direct sightings and
indirect evidence (scat). On every
sighting of the target species or its evidence, geo-coordinate data were
collected using the global positioning system (GPS) besides recording their
number. In addition, sighting data
recorded during the jackal prey-abundance estimate were also considered. The location data (both direct sighting and
indirect evidence) along with other variables (division boundaries) marked on
the survey of India topographic map were digitized using the geographical
information system (GIS) software (Arc View 3.3, ESRI Inc.) to create the
distribution map of the jackal.
Diet composition
The diet composition of jackals
was studied following the indirect method, i.e., scat analysis based on
frequency occurrence of various undigested food items found in the scat
(Schaller 1967). The scat of the jackal
can be identified, by size, shape and odour in
addition to the nature of feeding and pug marks in the area. Differentiating jackal scat in the field from
small carnivore scat requires more experience, however, the absence of most
small carnivores excepting mongoose made identification easier in the present
study. Similarly, the scat of jackal
could be differentiated from domestic/feral dogs based on plant matters like
fruits, seeds, pericarp, on which jackal usually feeds unlike dogs. Scats were collected whenever encountered in
the study area along the predetermined road and trail surveys. The collected scats were air-dried and sealed
in a separate container and numbered serially, and the date and habitat were
noted (Joseph et al. 2007). To
determine the diet composition, dried scat samples were broken down and washed
under running water through a sieve. The
scat contents were broken apart and remains of different food items such as
hair, feather, scales of reptiles, invertebrate and vegetable matter (grass and
fruit seeds) were separated. In case of
hair samples, a sample of 20 hairs was picked up randomly from each scat
(Mukherjee et al. 1994) to circumvent the possible biases (Karanth
& Sunquist 1995).
The prey species were identified from the hair structure using a
microscope and compared with standard slides.
Prey remains in scats were observed microscopically and identified by
comparing with standard reference slides (both medullary or epithelial
structure prepared using DPX mountant) available at
the Department of Zoology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), and plant materials
especially fruit remains such as seeds and pericarp were compared with specimens
from natural habitats or collection maintained at the Bombay Natural History
Society Field Station at Point Calimere Sanctuary.
Prey abundance
To estimate the prey abundance, line transect (Burnham et al. 1980)
direct sighting method was employed.
Based on the diet composition data, a list of food items eaten by the
jackal was prepared. The abundance of
animal species from birds and mammals consumed by the jackal was quantified
using the line transect method. To
decide about the sampling sites for line transect study, the sanctuary maps
were overlaid with 1 × 1 km grid and all the grids were numbered with running
serial number resulting in 40 grids. Of
these, 37 were selected for sampling. In
each grid, a line transect was randomly laid, but aligned to run across
drainage patterns and water bodies. From
this map, geo-coordinate details were extracted for each line transect start
and end points and using them, the transect lines were established in natural
habitats of the sanctuary with the help GPS and field compass. These lines were marked with red colour paint or tags.
All these transects were sampled at weekly intervals between January and
March 2013 during morning (06.00–10.00 h) and evening (16.00–18.00 h). At every sighting of prey item like Black-naped Hare, Palm Squirrel, Chital, Blackbuck, Bonnet
Macaque, Wild Boar, feral horse, cattle, and terrestrial birds, besides their
group size, sighting angle, and sighting distance were recorded respectively
using field compass and range finder.
Data analysis
Using the transect data, the density was estimated following
distance-sampling techniques employing the software DISTANCE (version 6.0,
Buckland et al. 2004; Thomas et al. 2010).
Group and individual density of Blackbuck and feral horse and their
standard error (SE) were estimated, evaluating each model of detection
probability, viz., uniform, half-normal, and hazard-rate with three different
series adjustment terms such as cosine, simple polynomial and hermite polynomial (i.e., detection probability uniform
with cosine series adjustment, uniform with simple polynomial and uniform with hermite polynomial and similar combination for half-normal
and hazard rate). The best model was
selected for estimating the density of each species from nine different
combinations of analyses, using the minimum Akaike Information Criteria (AIC)
as the standard model selection procedure.
Statistical analyses and prey preference calculation
The diet composition data were quantified in terms of frequency of
occurrence, percent of scat containing particular food item out of the total
number of scats collected, following traditional scat analysis method (Schaller
1967). The data on the frequency
occurrence of various food items recorded in the diet of the jackal between
seasons was tested using the Mann–Whitney U test. Prey preference by the jackal was
estimated using the % occurrence of various prey items in the diet (as usage
rate) and their abundance in the environment (as availability) following
Jacob’s preference index (Jacobs 1974).
Jacob’s preference index = (u − a)/ (u + a) − (2 × u × a), where ‘u’ is
the proportion of a particular category in the diet, and ‘a’, the proportion of
that category in the population.
RESULTS
Distribution pattern of the jackal
In total, the study recorded 41 locations of direct sightings and
indirect evidence of jackal between December 2013 and June 2014 and
superimposed them on the sanctuary map to produce its distribution map (Figure
1). From the distribution map, though it appears that jackals are distributed
throughout the sanctuary, areas in southern and eastern parts, where grassland
habitat is dominating, have more uniform distribution unlike the western and
northern parts, where the dry-evergreen habitat predominant.
Overall diet composition
In total, analyses of 155 scats revealed that the jackals’ diet
comprised 19 different food items including seven species of mammals, six of
birds, one each of insect and invertebrate, and four of plants (Table 1). Of the 19 food items, Black-naped Hare and Blackbuck were the most frequent items in
≥20% of the scats collected. The other
important items include Chital, and coleopteran insects formed over 10% of the
scats indicating the importance of their contribution to jackals’ diet. Food items such as leaves of Cloris parpata grass and Prosopis juliflora,
are more likely unintentional consumption, as these are likely ingested along
with meat in grasslands or under Prosopis cover, as dry leaves stuck to
the meat being consumed. Of the five
major groups of prey, the contribution of mammalian prey was the highest (53%)
followed by plant materials (20%), birds (16%), invertebrates (10%), and
unidentified category (1%).
Diet composition between seasons
The diet composition of jackals also varied between the winter and
summer. For example, the jackal preyed
upon birds significantly more during winter (36%) than during summer (18%)
(Man-Whitney-U = 2377.5, p = 0.01) (Figure 2) and all other taxa such as
mammals (Man-Whitney-U = 2850.5, p = 0.754), invertebrates (Man-Whitney-U =
2744, p = 0.330), plants (Man-Whitney-U = 2637, p = 0.220), and unidentified
(Man-Whitney-U = 2893.5, p = 0.778) appeared in the diet between the two
seasons with similar frequency.
Food preference
Of the 19 food items identified in the jackal’s diet, abundance data
could be obtained for 12 items only (Table 2).
Of these 12 items, Black-naped Hare, Spotted
Dove and Red-wattled Lapwing were the most preferred
items followed by Cattle Egret, Chital, Grey Francolin, and Large Egret (Figure
3). Although the sanctuary has more
biomass of Blackbuck and cattle, jackals did not prefer them.
DISCUSSION
Distribution pattern of the jackal
The present study showed that the distribution of jackal, though not
restricted, was uniform in the eastern and southern parts of the sanctuary,
where large areas fall under open grasslands and mudflat. The western and northern parts predominantly
have tropical dry-evergreen forests, where the jackal sightings and signs were
found to be patchy, indicating that this habitat was used relatively lesser
than the grassland habitat. This could
be an appropriate strategy to optimally use the dry-evergreen habitat, which harbours
the food species patchily including fruit bearing trees. Detections of jackals and their signs,
however, were likely to be lower in forested habitats, which could also be a
reason for the observed higher use of more open habitats. Food availability is one of the most
important factors affecting the behaviour, ecology, and evolution of animals.
Prey species distribution and their abundance influence the predators’
life-history traits like growth, reproduction, and survival (Bilde & Toft 1998; Karanth et
al. 2004). Therefore, the prey
availability could influence the ecological traits of the predator including
movement, distribution patterns and habitat selection (Pyke et al. 1977; Gittleman & Harvey 1982). The reason for the uniform distribution of
jackals along open grassland habitat and patchy distribution in dry-evergreen
habitat could be the function of its prey distribution. As shown by the diet composition data, Black-naped Hare and Blackbuck, which occupy open grasslands,
were the two major prey species that contributed nearly 50% to the jackals’
overall diet. Similarly, the jackal’s
frequent movement in mud-flat habitats could also be due to their dependence on
crab and shore birds. The species being
omnivorous with a flexible social system can adapt to wide range habitats from
Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India to the evergreen forests of Myanmar and
Thailand as well as from mangrove to rural and semi-urban human-agro-ecosystems (Clutton-Brock et
al. 1976; Poche et al. 1987). In the present study area, however, with its
principal diet of Black-naped Hare and Blackbuck
being mostly found in the open habitats, it might use the open habitat more
uniformly over the wooded forest that is used patchily.
Diet composition
Diet composition identified based on 103 scats analyses revealed that
jackals’ diet comprised 19 different food items ranging widely from mammals,
birds to invertebrates, such as insects and plant part like fruits. Jackal being an omnivorous and opportunistic
forager in nature feed on a wide variety of foods that vary in space and
time. In Bharatpur,
northern India, rodents, birds, and fruit comprise the major bulk (Sankar 1988), and similarly in Kanha,
over 80% of the diet comprises rodents, reptiles, and fruit (Schaller
1967). The reason for jackals not
depending much on rodents could be the variation in prey availability between
the areas. It is likely that the rodent
density is lesser in the present study area compared to Bharatpur
and Kanha or Black-naped
Hare that served as the principal diet of the jackal in the present study area
are more abundant in the study area as compared to the other places in
India. Besides the above reasons, the
difference in study duration and season could also contribute to variation in
diet composition between areas. Also,
the fact that the rodents being smaller in size compared to Black-naped Hare, given a choice of similar density, the jackal
might prefer the Black-naped Hare as it is more
optimal. On the other hand, Blackbuck,
an ungulate, being much larger than the Black-naped
Hare and also with a higher biomass in the study area has not been noticed in
the diet as much as the Black-naped Hare, and this
may be a trade-off, as the prey is much larger than the predator, and hunting
Blackbuck could be more expensive, as it may not able to bring down the prey
easily. Nevertheless, the occasional
appearance of Blackbuck in the diet of the jackal may be of young ones or
calf. Since Blackbucks hide their
calves, the jackal hunts them (Jethva & Jhala
2004; Aiyadurai & Jhala
2006).
Of the 19 food items, Black-naped Hare and
Blackbuck were the most frequent food items of jackals’ diet that appeared in
more than 20% of the scats collected during the period. The other important food items include the
Red Crab Pleurroncodes planipes
and coleopteran insects appeared in over 10% of the scats indicating the
importance of their contribution to the jackals’ diet. Of the five major groups of prey items that
constituted the diet of the jackal, mammalian prey contribution was the highest
followed by plant materials, birds, insects and invertebrates. Similar to the present study, mammalian
species contribution is the most dominant elsewhere in India: in Bhal region, Gujarat (Aiyadurai
& Jhala 2006), Pench
Tiger Reserve (Majumder et al. 2011), in Sariska
Tiger Reserve, India (Chourasia et al. 2012), and abroad; Isreal
(Barkowski & Manor 2011), Peljesac
Peninsula (Radovic & Darkokovacic
2010). In Hungary, central Europe, the
Golden Jackals feed predominantly on animal matter especially small mammals and
to a lesser extent on plant matter (Lanszki et al.
2006).
The contribution of plant matter, especially fruit, to the overall diet
was lesser in the present study compared to other studies (Kotwal et al. 1991;
Gupta 2006). Unlike the present study,
greater quantities of vegetable matter are found in the diet of the jackal;
during the fruiting season, jackals feed intensively on the fallen fruits of Ziziphus sp., Syzigium
cuminii, and pods of Prosopis juliflora and Cassia fistula (Kotwal et al.
1991; Gupta 2006). Contrarily, lower
proportion of plant matter especially the fruits recorded in the present study
could be attributed to the absence of palatable fruit plants in fruiting
condition.
Temporal difference in diet composition
The study showed that birds formed the diet of jackal significantly more
during winter than in summer. As the
present study area is one among the 467 Important Bird Areas of India and one
among the 26 RAMSAR sites of India (http://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/IBA_8463.aspx)
and also attracts very diverse range of bird species including the migratory
water birds in high density during winter than in summer. Therefore, the higher proportion of birds in
the diet of jackal coincides with migratory season of water birds in the study
area and such shift in diet composition could be a function of optimal foraging
(Pyke et al. 1977). The results further
indicate the opportunistic foraging and hunting nature of the species, which in
turn helps the species to use the heterogenous environment of the study
area.
Prey preference
Among the 10 food items available (compared with usage), Black-naped Hare and Spotted Dove were the most preferred diet
items followed by Chital, Cattle Egret and Great Egret. Although, the sanctuary has higher number or
biomass of Blackbuck and cattle, the jackal did not prefer these species as its
principal diet. As discussed earlier,
given its smaller size in comparison to blackbuck, it may not be possible for
the jackal to bring down the well-grown Blackbuck and thus, it may not be an
optimal choice. It may, however, be
comparatively easier for the jackals to hunt on the offspring or calf of
Blackbuck, which are left behind by females in dense bushes, while going for
grazing. During the peak calving time of
Blackbuck in Velavadar National Park, India, jackals
were observed searching for hiding calves throughout the day with search
intensifying during the early morning and late evening (Jhala
& Moehlman 2004; Aiyadurai
& Jhala 2006).
In addition, therefore, the low proportion of blackbuck and cattle in
the diet of jackal could be due to the jackal’s smaller size. Apart from Black-naped
Hare, the jackal also showed preference to Chital, whose population is
relatively small in the area.
Conclusions and recommendations
The Golden Jackal population found at Point Calimere
Wildlife Sanctuary seems to be a healthy one, although the present study was
unable to estimate population given the crepuscular nature of the species. The species is distributed uniformly in the
grasslands and patchily in the tropical dry-evergreen habitats. Its ability to exploit a wide spectrum of
food, ranges from mammals, birds, invertebrates to plants, which changes
temporally, enabling the species to use all the habitats available in the study
area. Being the only large-sized carnivore
of the sanctuary, effective management of the Golden Jackal is essential for
the dynamics of the ecosystem as a predator and may also act as seed disperser,
as reported elsewhere and thus, we suggest a long-term study to understand the
species ecology and their role in maintaining the ecosystem.
Table 1. Frequency occurrence of various food items recorded from jackal
scats (n = 155) at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary.
|
Prey item scientific name (common name) |
Percent frequency (mean ±SE) |
|
Mammals |
82.5 ± 3.05 |
1 |
Antilope cervicapra (Blackbuck) |
20.0 ± 3.22 |
2 |
Axis axis (Chital) |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
3 |
Lepus nigricollis (Black-naped Hare) |
28.4 ± 3.63 |
4 |
Rattus rattus (House Rat) |
9.7 ± 2.38 |
5 |
Sus scrofa (Wild Boar) |
8.4 ± 2.23 |
6 |
Macaca radiata (Bonnet Macaque) |
3.9 ± 1.55 |
7 |
Bos taurus (Cattle) |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
|
Birds |
25.1 ± 3.49 |
8 |
Francolinus pondicerianus (Grey Francolin) |
3.2 ± 1.42 |
9 |
Vanellus indicus (Red-wattled Lapwing) |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
10 |
Bubulcus ibis (Cattle Egret) |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
11 |
Ardea alba (Great Egret) |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
12 |
Egretta garzetta (Little Egret) |
3.2 ± 1.42 |
13 |
Spilopelia chinensis (Spotted Dove) |
3.9 ± 1.55 |
|
Invertebrate |
15.4 ± 2.91 |
14 |
Beetle (Coleoptera) |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
15 |
Pleurroncodes planipes (Red Crab) |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
|
Plant materials |
32.2 ± 3.76 |
16 |
Hugonia mystax (Fruits) |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
17 |
Manilkara hexandra (Fruits) |
6.5 ± 1.97 |
18 |
Prosophis julifera (Leaves) |
12.3 ± 2.64 |
19 |
Cloris parpata (Grass) |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
|
Unidentified |
1.9 ± 1.11 |
Table 2. Prey availability (abundance estimate) and prey use (%
frequency occurrence in diet) data to calculate the food preference by the
jackal (*due to inadequate sample size instead of density
encounter rate arrived; - indicates that abundance data unavailable).
Prey items (scientific name) |
Prey species (mean ± SE) |
|
Availability (Density/km2) |
Use (% frequency in the scat) |
|
Mammals |
||
Antilope cervicapra |
50.2 ± 4.79
|
20.0 ± 3.22 |
Axis axis |
9.3 ± 2.06 |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
Lepus nigricollis |
6.2 ±1.18 |
28.4 ± 3.63 |
Rattus rattus |
- |
9.7 ± 2.38 |
Sus scrofa |
14.7± 1.86 |
8.4 ± 2.23 |
Macaca radiata |
34.1±6.67 |
3.9 ± 1.55 |
Bos taurus |
45.1 ± 6.89 |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
Birds |
||
Francolinus pondicerianus |
- |
3.2 ± 1.42 |
Vanellus indicus |
- |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
Bubulcus ibis |
0.1±0.04* |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
Egretta garzetta |
0.2±0.07* |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
Ardea alba |
0.2±0.06* |
3.2 ± 1.42 |
Spilopelia chinensis |
0.01 ±0.013* |
3.9 ± 1.55 |
Invertebrate |
||
Insect: Beetle (Coleoptera) |
- |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
Red Crab (Pleurroncodes planipes) |
- |
4.5 ± 1.67 |
Plant materials |
||
Hugonia mystax (Fruits) |
- |
5.2 ± 1.78 |
Manilkara hexandra (Fruits) |
- |
6.5 ± 1.97 |
Prosophis julifera (Leaves) |
- |
12.3 ± 2.64 |
Cloris parpata (Grass) |
- |
11.6 ± 2.58 |
Unidentified |
- |
1.9 ± 1.11 |
For figures
& image - - click here
REFERENCES
Aiyadurai, A. & Y.V. Jhala (2006). Foraging and habitat use by golden jackals (Canis
aureus) in the Bhal region, Gujarat, India. Journal
of the Bombay Natural History Society 103: 5–12
Ali, R. (2005). Field studies for the conservation and management of Point Calimere, Technical Report, Foundation for Ecological
Research, Advocacy and Learning, Pondicherry, 142pp.
Arandhara, S., S. Sathishkumar & N. Baskaran
(2020). Modelling the effect of
covariates on the detectability and density of native Blackbucks and invasive
feral-horse using multiple covariate distance sampling at Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern India. Mammalian
Biology, 100: 173–186.
Baskaran, N., S. Arandhara & S. Sathishkumar
(2020). Project Completion Report
submitted to SERB, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India,
47pp.
Baskaran, N., K. Ramkumaran & G. Karthikeyan
(2016). Spatial and dietary overlap between Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) and feral horse (Equus caballus) at
Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern India: competition
between native versus introduced species. Mammalian
Biology 81: 295–302. https://doi.org/10.1016
/j.mambio.2016.02.004
Barkowski, J.A. & R. Manor (2011). Diet composition
of Golden Jackal in Israel.
Zoological Fennici
48: 108–118.
Bekoff, M. & E.M. Gese (2003). Coyote (Canis
latrans), pp. 467–481.
In: Feldhamer, G.A., B.C. Thompson & J.A. Chapman
(eds.). Wild Mammals
of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation.
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, xiii+1216pp.
Bilde, T. & S. Toft (1998). Quantifying
food limitation of arthropod predators in the field.
Oecologia 115: 54–58
Buckland, J.F., D.R. Anderson,
K.P. Burnham, T.L. Laake, D.L. Borchers & L.
Thomas (2004). Advanced Distance Sampling.
Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 414pp.
Burnham, K.P., D.R. Anderson,
& J.L. Laake (1980). Estimation of density from line transects sampling of biological
populations. Wildlife Monographs 72: 1–202.
Chourasia, P., K. Mondal, K. Sankar & Q. Qureshi (2012). Food Habits of Golden Jackal (Canis
aureus) and Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) in Sariska
Tiger Reserve, Western India. World Journal of Zoology 7(2): 106–112.
Ćirović, D., A. Penezić & M. Krofel
(2016). Jackals as cleaners: Ecosystem
services provided by a mesocarnivore in
human-dominated landscapes. Biological Conservation 199: 51–55.
Clutton-Brock, J., G. B. Corbett & M. Hills (1976). A review of the family Canidae, with a
classification by numerical methods. Bulletin of British Museum Natural History (Zoology) 29: 1–99. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.6922
Jethva, B. & Y.V. Jhala (2004). Foraging ecology, economics and conservation of Indian wolves in the Bhal region of Gujarat, Western India. Biological
Conservation 116: 351–357.
Gittleman, J.L. & P.H. Harvey (1982). Carnivore home range size, metabolic needs and ecology. Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, 10: 57–63.
Gupta, S. (2006). Prey abundance and feeding habits of jackal (Canis aureus) in Keoladeo
National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan. M.Sc.
dissertation submitted to Department of Wildlife Science. Aligarh Muslim
University, Aligarh, 72pp.
Hoffmann, M., J., Arnold, J.W.,
Duckworth, Y. Jhala, J.F. Kamler
& M. Krofel (2018). Canis aureus (errata version published
in 2020). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018:
e.T118264161A163507876. Downloaded on 04 June 2020. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T118264161A163507876.en
Important Bird Area and RAMSAR
Site. http://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/IBA_8463.aspx.
Accessed on 15 July 2020.
Jacobs, P.J. (1974). Quantitative measurement of food selection: a mechanism of the forage
ratio and Ivlev’s selectivity Index. Oecologia 14: 413–417.
Jhala, Y.V. & P.D. Moehlman (2004). Golden jackal (Canus aureus),
pp. 156–161. In: Sillero- Zubiri,
C., M. Hoffmann & D.W. Macdonald (eds.). Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals
and Dogs. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Canid
Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK, 368pp.
Joseph, S., A.P. Thomas, R.
Satheesh & R. Sugathan (2007). Foraging ecology and relative abundance of large carnivores in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern India. Zoos’
Print Journal 22(5): 2667–2670. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1491.2667-70
Karanth, U. & M.E. Sunquist (1995). Prey selection by Tiger, Leopard, and Dhole in tropical forest. Journal
of Animal Ecology 64: 439–450.
Karanth, U., J.D. Nichols, N.S. Kumar, W.A. Link & J.E. Hines (2004). Tigers and their prey: Predicting carnivore
densities from prey abundance. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 101: 4854–4858.
Kotwal, P.C., B.C. Sharma & D.K. Pandey (1991). Immobilization
and radio collaring of Golden Jackal (Canis
aureus) Zoos Print 6(11): 33–34.
Lanszki, J., M. Heltai & L. Szabó (2006). Feeding habits and trophic niche overlap between sympatric Golden
Jackal (Canis aureus) and Red Fox (Vulpes
vulpes) in the Pannonian ecoregion (Hungary). Canadian
Journal of Zoology 84(11): 1647–1656.
Macdonald, D.W. (1979). The flexible social system of the Golden Jackal, Canis
aureus. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology
5: 17–38.
Majumder, A., K. Sankar, Q. Qureshi & S. Basu
(2011). Food habits and temporal
activity patterns of the Golden Jackal Canis
aureus and the Jungle Cat Felis chaus in Pench Tiger Reserve,
Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(11): 2221–2225. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2713.2221-5
Mukherjee, S., S.P. Goyal &
R. Chellam (1994). Refined techniques for the analysis of Asiatic Lion Panthera
leo persica scats. Acta
Theriologica 39: 425–430.
Muralidharan, S. (1985). Foraging ecology of
blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
and its interaction with cattle. M.Sc., Dissertation, Division of Post-Graduate
studies in Wildlife Biology. A.V.C. College, Mannampandal,
Mayiladuthurai, 72pp.
Nedumaran, R. (1987). Influence of
blackbuck at Point Calimere Sanctuary. M.Sc.,
Dissertation, Department of Zoology, A.V.C. College, Mannampandal,
Mayiladuthurai, 78pp.
Poche, R.M., S.J. Evans, P. Sultana, M.A. Hague, R. Sterner & M.A.
Siddique (1987). Notes on the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Bangladesh. Mammalia
51: 259–270.
Pyke, G.H., H.R. Pulliam & E.L. Charnov
(1977). Optimal Foraging: A Selective Review of Theory and Tests. The
Quarterly Review of Biology, 52(2): 137–154.
Radovic, A. & D. Kovacic (2010). Diet composition of the golden jackal (Canis
aureus L.) on the Peljesac Peninsula, Dalmatia,
Croatia. Periodicum Biologorum
112: 219–224.
Ramasubramaniyan, S. (2012). Management plan in
Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary. Tamil Nadu Forest
Department, 189pp.
Sankar, K. (1988). Some observations on
food habits of jackals (Canis aureus)
in Keolaeo National Park, Bharatpur,
as shown by scat analysis. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
85: 185–186.
Schaller, G.B. (1967). The Deer and the Tiger: A study of Wildlife in India. University
of Chicago Press, Chicago, 370pp.
Singh, A., A. Mukherjee, S. Dookia, & H.N. Kumara (2016). High resource availability and lack of competition have increased
population of a meso-carnivore- a case study of
Golden Jackal in Keoladeo National Park, India. Mammalian
Research 61(3): 209–219.
Thomas, L., S.T. Buckland, E.A. Rexstad, J.L. Laake, S.
Strindberg, S.L. Hedley, J.R.B.Bishop, T.A. Marques,
& K.P. Burnham (2010). Distance software:
design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population
size. Journal of Applied Ecology 47: 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01737