Camera trap records of native and non-native mammalian carnivores in urban forests of southern Kyoto, central Japan

Information on urban mesocarnivores in densely populated urban areas of Asia remains limited. This study presents camera trap data collected in autumn and winter from urban forests in central Japan. The study was conducted in the Uji Campus of Kyoto University and riparian forest patches along the Uji River in southern Kyoto, central Japan. We confirmed the presence of six medium‑sized carnivore species across five families, including three native species: Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834), Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758), Japanese Marten Martes melampus (Wagner, 1841), and three non‑native species: Raccoon Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758), Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata (Smith, 1827), and Stray Cat Felis catus (Linnaeus, 1758). The urban forests within the study area may provide habitat for mesocarnivores, presumably supporting their foraging and sheltering needs. Our data is valuable as baseline information on the mesocarnivore presence and utilisation of urban greenspaces in East Asia.