Activity Rhythm and Habitat Suitability Assessment of Prionailurus bengalensis in Xianju National Park

The Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) serves as a significant indicator species for reflecting conditions of forest ecosystem. A total of 83 infrared cameras deployed within the Xianju National Park in Zhejiang Province were used for species monitoring from June 2020 to June 2021, whose data was adopted to analyze the activity patterns of P. bengalensis, assessing their suitable habitats in Xianju County by using the Maxent model. The results indicated that P. bengalensis exhibited extremely low activity level in the daytime, with a daily peak activity between 20:00 and 2:00 the next day, and summer and autumn were the peak periods of activity, while activity levels decreased during spring and winter. The Maxent model revealed that the suitable habitat area for P. bengalensis in Xianju County amounted to 210.568 km² distributed primarily in the southern and northern mountain ranges which were discontinuous with the characteristics of fragmentation. Land use, population density, mean temperature during the wettest season and slope had significant impacts on the distribution of P. bengalensis, the mountainous forest land with low population density, low mean temperature during the wettest season, and steeper slopes were the preferred habitats. The findings of this study can provide a scientific basis for the conservation and management of P. bengalensis within Xianju National Park and its surrounding areas.