Movements and diet of the leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis in a seasonal evergreen forest in south-central Thailand

The natural history of the leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) was investigated in a seasonal evergreen forest in south-central Thailand by radio telemetry and fecal analysis. Mean overall home range size for male leopard cats (n = 3) was 4.1 km (SD = 1.23 km ) while a female cat exhibited a home range o f 2.5 km . Mean one-day movement was 1.05 0.35 km. They exhibited arrhythmic activity (mean = 47%) dominated by nocturnal and crepuscular tendencies. Peak activity (mean = 58%) occurred between 03.01-06.00 h and 18.01-21.00 h. Analysis o f feces (n = 25) collected in the field indicated that leopard cats utilized at least 9 prey species dominated by Rattus sp. (28%).