Key for Identifying the Prey of Snow Leopard in Nepal Using Features of the Structure of the Hair of Their Prey Present in Their Faeces
Abstract
Large carnivores like snow leopard are solitary and elusive species, which makes observing their hunting and feeding behaviour difficult. In addition, small prey are completely consumed and it is not easy to determine where they were killed (Oli et al. in J Zool Lond 231:365-370, 1993).
However, as the hair of prey is not damaged during mastication and digestion and is passed in the faeces of predators, it could be a reliable way of identifying their prey. Since the end of the nineteenth century there have been a number of publications on the microstructure of the hair of mammals.
However, there are only a few such publications (Oli et al. in J Zool Lond 231:365-370, 1993; Khatoon, Diet selection of snow leopard (Uncia uncia) in Chitral area, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi Pakistan, M. Phil, 2010; Anwar et al. in Pak J Zool 44:737-743, 2012) that are on the prey of snow leopard, and therefore there is a lack of detailed information.
The aim of this chapter is to provide details of the microstructure and measurements of hair of Himalayan mammals collected in snow leopard habitats in Nepal, and digital photographs of the medulla, cuticle (scales) and cross-sections of the guard hairs that can be used to identify the prey of this predator.