First parturition of tigers in a semi-arid habitat, western India

Long-term data of large felids is important to understand their reproductive biology and behavior for effective conservation planning. We used camera trap data and direct sightings from 2005 to 2013 to estimate the age of the first parturition of Bengal tigers ( Panthera tigris ) in a semi-arid habi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of wildlife research 2014-04, Vol.60 (2), p.383-386
Main Authors: Singh, Randeep, Krausman, Paul R., Pandey, Puneet, Qureshi, Qamar, Sankar, Kalyanasundaram, Goyal, Surendra Prakash, Tripathi, Anshuman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Arid zones
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Ecology
Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management
Habitats
Life Sciences
Short Communication
Wildcats
Zoology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Long-term data of large felids is important to understand their reproductive biology and behavior for effective conservation planning. We used camera trap data and direct sightings from 2005 to 2013 to estimate the age of the first parturition of Bengal tigers ( Panthera tigris ) in a semi-arid habitat in India. We monitored 11 females in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) from when they were 2–6 months old. The mean age at first reproduction (impregnation leading to cubs) was 51.3 ± (SE) 4.5 months. The tiger population in RTR is an important source population and genetic pool in the western most distribution of tiger. Thus, continuous monitoring of tiger populations is important to develop an understanding of reproductive biology.
ISSN:1612-4642
1439-0574
DOI:10.1007/s10344-013-0784-x