Seasonal variation in activity rhythms of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), their prey and competitors in southern Anhui

Medium- and small-sized carnivores are important indicator species of forest ecosystems, their circadian activity rhythms play a crucial role in regulating resource use, mediating interspecific competition, and responding to environmental change, yet quantitative studies of these rhythms remain relatively scarce. To investigate how leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) balance predation and competition in southern Anhui Province, from May 2023 to April 2024, we conducted systematic infrared camera monitoring in Anhui’s Lingnan Provincial Nature Reserve, Zhejiang’s Qianjiangyuan National Forest Park, and adjacent areas. Using extensive diel activity data of leopard cats and co-occurring potential prey and competitors obtained from 37 validly recovered cameras (40 deployed), we adopted temporal overlap analysis, kernel density estimation, and other methods to test two hypotheses: (1) leopard cats show strong temporal overlap with their primary prey (rats), thereby increasing prey access while reducing direct competition; and (2) seasonal environmental variation drives shifts in temporal overlap, with greater overlap expected during seasons characterized by constrained resources or climatic stress. Leopard cats exhibited a clear bimodal activity pattern with pre-dawn and late-evening peaks. They showed strong temporal correspondence with primary prey such as rats, as well as with nocturnal or crepuscular competitors including masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) and Chinese ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata), while overlap with strictly diurnal birds remained minimal. Seasonal comparisons indicated that temporal overlap between leopard cats and sympatric mammals increased from spring through winter, with more pronounced overlap in summer and winter, suggesting that resource dynamics and climatic pressures modulate activity timing across seasons. These findings demonstrate that leopard cats rely on temporal plasticity to balance hunting efficiency and interspecific interactions under varying environmental conditions. Understanding this behavioral flexibility provides valuable insight into coexistence mechanisms among small carnivores and offers a scientific basis for seasonally informed conservation and management strategies in southern Anhui.