Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor Pocock, 1927) is distributed in
different ecosystems, and Golestan Natural Park is one of the main habitats
of the species in northeast Iran. A precise knowledge of diet is a critical part
of conservation plans for endangered species. P.pardus has varied diet and
preys on various items such as wild ungulate and livestock. In this report, we
discovered an unusual prey in diet of P. pardus using genetic analysis.
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) has been identified in diet of P.
pardus through the use of sequencing the control region of mtDNA in
Golestan National Park. This is the first record of domestic dog in the diet of
P. pardus in Iran, although many different preys have been detected in other
studies. Existence of dog in leopard’s diet is remarkable while many
favourite preys of leopard exist in the same habitat.
کلید واژگان :
Diet analysis, Carnivora, Predation, mtDNA, Golestan National Park
