ABSTRACT Plant consumption by felids is widely reported; however, direct behavioral evidence in wild individuals remains scarce. A camera‐trap was used to document plant‐directed behaviors by wild snow leopards ( Panthera uncia ) toward Myricaria sp. and to compare responses of sympatric mammals. A camera was deployed at approximately 2580 m in the Shamshy co‐managed nature protected area, Kyrgyzstan, recording 60‐s videos upon motion detection across 412 monitoring days. In total, 1065 videos were obtained, including 131 mammal encounters representing nine wild species and four domestic species. Plant consumption was observed in snow leopards, domestic horses ( Equus ferus caballus ), Siberian ibex ( Capra sibirica ), and domestic cattle ( Bos taurus ); however, Myricaria sp. ingestion occurred only in snow leopards and horses. A single adult male snow leopard was recorded on 15 occasions across three non‐consecutive days. Across 15 videos, feeding on Myricaria sp. occurred during 14, typically following sniffing (11/15) and then, often, head‐rubbing (7/15). The snow leopard progressively consumed branches from distal tips toward the proximal base. These events occurred in winter and early spring when Myricaria sp. bore mostly stubbles and stems. Horses appeared on six non‐consecutive days (50 videos) and fed on Myricaria sp. only during the leafy period recorded on 1 day (14 videos) on 25th September 2022; seven of 18 passing horses fed, defoliating shrubs. Domestic dogs and ibexes sniffed Myricaria sp. in three and four videos, respectively, but did not consume it. These observations provide the first camera‐trap evidence of Myricaria sp. consumption by wild snow leopards and reveal associated sniffing followed by feeding and then head‐rubbing, suggestive of olfactory assessment and also potential marking. Species‐specific use of Myricaria sp. indicates roles beyond forage. The findings motivate targeted chemical and physiological studies to clarify functional drivers (e.g., gastrointestinal, self‐medication, oral stimulation, or scent‐marking) of plant‐directed behaviors in felids.
Kinoshita et al. (Mon,) studied this question.