Seasonal activity patterns of mesopredators in the Soutpansberg, South Africa

Mesopredators play a crucial role in shaping animal communities. It has been hypothesised that sympatric mesopredator species adapt their behaviour to avoid negative interactions. Hence, differences in daily activity patterns are often seen among mesopredator species. However, seasonal variation in resource availability can impact these differences. Currently, the daily activity patterns of sympatric mesopredator species throughout the year are not well understood. Therefore, we investigated the daily activity patterns of genets (Genetta genetta and G. maculata) and African civets (Civettictis civetta) using camera trap survey data from the Soutpansberg, South Africa. We used kernel density estimates of activity overlap that showed that genet species and African civets were nocturnal, and that there is high activity overlap between these mesopredators during both wet and dry seasons. However, the overlap in peak activity time was moderate. The results suggest that adaptation of daily activity patterns is not used to avoid negative interactions, but does indicate fine-scale temporal segregation to reduce encounters with competitors. Future research should focus on mechanisms such as spatial or dietary segregation that allow coexistence of these mesopredator species.