Food piracy by jackal Canis aureus from a jungle cat Felis chaus in Chhari-Dhandh, Kutch

1 Pages·1991·0.62 MB·

by  S A Akhtar

108 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. 88
of a 4 cell torch from about 2 to 3 m. Mandvi, Vyara and Dangs formed a continuous corridor
The second sighting of the cat was made on 16 ofmoist deciduous forests in the past, there is every pos-
December 1990 at 2200hrs in a small cultivated areanear sibility that this species existed in this belt, but had not
the same stream. This observation was made for about 3 been identified earlier in Rajpipla forests.
min. and confirmed by S.A. Chavan. Since we had the
CHAVAN
photographs of the rusty spotted cat (taken in Gir by S.A.
Bharat Pathak) there was no possibility of misidentifica- C.D. PATEL
PAWAR
tion. S.V.
This cat had been recorded earlier in Dangs forests N.S. GOGATE
byH.H.MaharajaofBansda. AsRajpiplaforests, Sagbara, March 12, 1991 N.P. PANDYA
BEHAVIOUR OF AJACKAL CANIS AURE AT ALEOPARD PANTHERA PARDUS KELL
4.
>
On2March 19901 satover acowkilledby aleopard state, stepping carefully, sniffing constantly up and down
Panthera pardus in a ravine near Perohit-ji-ka-Talab, a and occasionally whipping around to look behind. It came
m
small lake near Udaipur. The blind was 15 from the kill to the kill and before feeding on it again looked carefully
and I took up my position in the hide at 1530 hrs. After a around.
lapse ofan hour I heard the alarm call of langur Presbytis At this moment the leopard gave a loud cough. The
entellus and 15 minutes later I saw a leopard descending jackal turned round like lightning gave a low whining
on my right into the ravine. Probably it noticed the un- sound and fell head over heels. Regaining its feet it tried
natural construction near the kill and sensed some danger to runhard, but after taking two or three steps it again fell
so it stopped about 100 m from me behind some bushes, and did acomplete somersault. Itturned foursomersaults,
almost concealed from me. After some time it rose, took twice fell headlong on the ground and finally disappeared
alongdetouraroundthehideandtookupitspositionabout from sight. The leopard did not even rise to its feet. As
m
40 from thehide. Only the tail ofthe leopardwas visible darkness approached I left the blind and was greeted by
from my position. Here the terrain was undulating and the leopard with growls. On many occasions I have seen
strewnwith boulders and thick bushes. Towards my left it jackals on leopard kills but have never seen a jackal in
was comparatively flat, with a few bushes. such a panic.
Just before duskI spotted ajackal Canis aureus ap-
proaching thekill from the left. It was in ahighly nervous April 4, 1990 RAZATEHSIN
FOOD PIRACY BY JACKAL CANIS AUREUS FROM AJUNGLE CATFELIS CHAUS
5.
IN CHHARI-DHANDH, KUTCH
On27May 1990at 1930hours, wewereonageneral tempts, buteachtimethecatmanagedto evadeits assaults.
reconnaissance of the terrain around Fulay village in Finally thejackal snatched the dead snake from the
Chhari-Dhandh, Kutch, Gujarat. About 4 km west of cat, and disappeared behind the rocks. The cat too left the
Fulay, we saw ajungle catFelischauspreying on asnake, area after abriefattempt to regain its prey. This is the first
and whenobserved it was walking, carrying itsprey. Sud- instance of food piracy by a jackal from a jungle cat.
denly, from behind an Euphorbia thicket a jackal Canis Snakes have not been listed as a food item of either the
aureus emerged and sprang on the cat, in an obvious at- jungle cat or thejackal so far.
tempt to snatch its prey. The cat resisted the jackal’s ef-
forts for some time during which a briefstruggle ensued
between the two. Thejackal chased the cat for some dis- S. ASAD AKHTAR
tance and almost grabbed the prey during the first few at- November 16, 1990 J. K. TIWARI