Activity patterns and predator-prey temporal overlap of sympatric felids in the Atlantic Forest

While dietary niche partitioning is considered the primary long-term mechanism preventing competition among sympatric carnivores, coexistence, particularly in fragmented landscapes, depends strongly on resource partitioning across spatial and temporal dimensions. In the highly threatened Atlantic Forest, understanding felid time partitioning is essential for elucidating mechanisms reducing intraguild interactions. We investigated temporal niche partitioning among jaguars ( Panthera onca ), pumas ( Puma concolor ), and ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ) in Rio Doce State Park, a major Atlantic Forest remnant. Using a three-year camera-trap survey (6,618 trap-nights), we obtained 11,078 independent records of mammal species. We modeled daily activity patterns using non-parametric circular kernel-density functions and quantified temporal interactions among predators and between predators and their potential prey using coefficients of overlap. Jaguars and pumas exhibited flexible cathemeral activity with crepuscular peaks, whereas ocelots were strictly nocturnal. Temporal overlap among the three felids was moderate (Δ = 0.67–0.75), indicating temporal segregation consistent with reduced encounter probability between dominant and subordinate predators. Jaguars and ocelots showed no sex-specific differences in activity patterns; in contrast, pumas exhibited marked sexual segregation, with males primarily crepuscular and nocturnal and females extending activity into diurnal hours. Predator activity patterns closely tracked prey availability: jaguars and pumas showed high temporal overlap (Δ > 0.77) with large prey such as capybaras and brocket deer, whereas ocelots synchronized primarily with small mammals (opossums and rodents). Our results demonstrate that temporal partitioning, mediated by both interspecific interactions and prey activity, facilitates coexistence among sympatric felids. The diurnal activity of female pumas likely represents a strategy to reduce intraspecific risk, highlighting Neotropical felid behavioral plasticity and the importance of protected areas.