Feizabadi, Hossein Akbari ， Ashrafi, Sohrab ， Hemami, Mahmoud Reza ， Naderi, Morteza
2022-03-01 ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA 2022 74(卷), 1(期), (51-58页)
Most carnivore species are in constant competition with one another on common resources; their protection hinges upon identifying which mechanisms and to what degree they alleviate competition and facilitate coexistence between them. This study aimed at investigating niche overlap and divergence between two sympatric species, i.e. Ruppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii) and sand cat (Fells margarita) in Rig-e-Jen area, Central Iranian desert. Totally, 73 and 61 scats were analysed belonging to Ruppell's fox and sand cat, respectively. Mammals were the most frequent food in the diet of both sand cat (86%) and Ruppell's fox (56%). Ruppell's fox tended to be a more flexible and opportunistic species with a more diverse diet. The niche breadth of the sand cat obtained by the standardised Levin's index (0.08) and Shannon-Wiener (0.36) was narrower than that of the Ruppell's fox (0.37 and 0.70, respectively). The trophic niche of sand cat and Ruppell's fox showed an overlap of 92%. Our findings in Rig-e-Jen area suggest that the larger diversity of prey type and size can promote sympatric living of sand cat and Ruppell's fox in Central Iran.