Habitat Occupancy of Brown Hyaenas and Civets in a Multi-Predator, Semi-Arid Savanna Landscape

Abstract

Studies on African carnivores usually focus on the large cats, and limited attention is given to the less charismatic species such as brown hyaenas (Parahyaena brunnea) and African civets (Civettictis civetta), despite their important role in ecosystem function and balance. The determinants of brown hyaena and civet space use are not well documented across their range, and information on their ecological habits is limited. Camera trapping is a widely used survey approach for recording carnivore presence and recent studies have piggybacked on camera trap by-catch data to gain insight into the ecologies of understudied species. In this paper, we used by-catch data from a leopard camera trap survey to model brown hyaena and civet habitat selection and occupancy at Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe. Our study found that brown hyaena presence increased with distance from surface water, while civets were associated with areas with high shrub canopy volume. The distribution of both species coincided with that of the top predators, suggesting co-existence. We posit that where subordinate carnivores have adapted to co-existing with large predators, environmental factors such as distance from surface water and shrub cover are key in influencing space use choice.