Temporal interactions and moon illumination effect on mammals in a tropical semievergreen forest of Manas National Park, Assam, India

A high degree of temporal overlap was found among most sympatric carnivores in Manas National Park, India, with distinct activity peaks, while low overlap (<0.50) occurred between different body-sized carnivores. Small carnivores like Prionailurus bengalensis and Viverridae spp. were strictly nocturnal, whereas Martes flavigula and Herpestidae spp. were diurnal. Large carnivores such as Panthera tigris and Panthera pardus exhibited cathemeral activity patterns. The study also revealed that viverrids' activity was negatively correlated with lunar cycles (r = −0.44, p < 0.01), possibly to enhance foraging efficiency or avoid predators. Large prey activity peaked during brighter nights, likely due to better visual detection of predators. Passive camera traps were used to capture 24,865 independent records over 11,294 trap nights, providing insights into the behavioral rhythms of tropical mammals.

Bhatt, U., Singh Adhikari, B., Habib, B., & Lyngdoh, S. (2021). Temporal interactions and moon illumination effect on mammals in a tropical semievergreen forest of Manas National Park, Assam, India. Biotropica, 53(3), 831–845. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12917