Core ranges of large carnivores vary within and across species
and habitats
Within home ranges, core areas are defined as exclusive areas of
intensive use and likely contain features such as preferred foraging
areas, dens and rest sites (Ewer, 1968) facilitating many species to
co-exist. We computed the number, size and perimeter of core areas
across 4 large carnivore species. All home range metrics were calculated
using ArcMet tool (ArcGIS). For tigers, we compared the size and number
of core areas of individuals of different sexes the same species in
varying levels of human disturbance. We also compared the core areas of
wolf and dhole – two social canids of comparable body size but
contrasting habitats. The significance of the results across species and
habitats was tested using paired t-test (Zar, 1984).