Faunal composition in the diet and factors affecting the foraging habitat of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis Pentadactyla) in Chandragiri municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

The Chinese Pangolin is one of the critically endangered mammalian species, and its population is declining due to illegal hunting and poaching, deforestation, fires, and habitat destruction. It is a nocturnal and shy animal, which survives at the highly specialized diets of ants and termites. Limited knowledge is available on the diet and foraging habitat of this species, therefore this study investigated its major faunal diets and foraging habitat utilization in Chandragiri Municipality of Kathmandu, Nepal. The faunal diet of the Chinese Pangolin was identified through fecal analysis. Major ant prey species for Chinese Pangolin in the study area were Aphaenogaster symthiesii, Camponotus sp., Monomorium sp., and Pheidole sp. The foraging habitat was assessed by the presence and absence of Chinese Pangolin’s sign. A total of 99 Chinese pangolin’s burrows including 11 new and 88 foraging burrows were recorded during the study period. The burrows were not uniformly distributed and recorded mostly in dense forest cover with dominant tree species like Schima wallichii, Myrica esculenta, Castonopsis tribuloides, Pinus roxburghii, and Cleyera sp. The foraging burrows were observed between 1,500 1,700 m of elevation in slopes of 20 40°. The majority of foraging burrows were recorded under the dense forest canopy coverage of 50 75% in the Southeast and South aspect. The Chinese Pangolin’s occurrence were affected by the slope and distance to ant nests, and agricultural lands. The data generated from this study on diet and foraging habitat can be used for developing a site specific management plan for the Chinese Pangolin outside the protected area system of Nepal.