Identification of individual leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) using spot pattern variation

Abstract

(With 2 figures in the text)Twenty-one captive leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) at the National Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka were individually identified using spot pattern variation. Based on an identification method established for lions {Panthera leo), a code was devised examining 23 variable characters, each of which had one to three values. These characters ranged from number and spacing of muzzle spots to forehead and eye patterns. Correlation among characters to be used for identification was minimized using principal component cluster analysis. The most variable character was chosen from each of eight non-overlapping clusters, and frequencies were calctilated for each character value. The probabiUty of occurrence of a given spot pattern was calculated as the sum of the frequencies of each character value. From this probability of occurrence, the information content, in bits, was computed for each pattern. The number of bits per character was also calculated. Using the binomial theorem, the rehability of identification was estimated as the sum of the probabilities of zero or one individual having an identical combination of character values. These binomial probabilities exceeded 0-99 for 15 out of 21 animals, and 0-95 for all but two. In these two animals, the information content was low (5-99 and 5-50 bits, respectively) compared to the others, in which information content ranged from 6-87-10-86. Although the mean number of bits (8-5) was theoretically sufficient for a 99% reliable identification, it was concluded that supplementation with an additional character would be worthwhile for identification of individual leopards.

Errors in identification using natural markings: rates, sources, and effects on capture–recapture estimates of abundance

“…Recognition of individual animals from natural markings is an important tool for the study of animal populations and is widely applied to diverse taxa (e.g., Miththapala et al 1989;Sheldon and Bradley 1989;Bretagnolle et al 1994). It is common in studies of marine mammals, particularly cetaceans, with application to most of the mysticetes and numerous odontocetes (for a review of methods, see Hammond et al 1990) and is also applied to pinnipeds (Forcada and Aguilar 2000) and sirenians (Reid et al 1991).…”

Estimates of Annual Survival Probabilities for Adult Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

“…This report also provides a case study of the use of natural markings of individuals for the recapture-based analysis of animal populations. Increasing numbers of field studies report the use of natural markings to identify individuals in the wild in a wide range of taxa for which capture and marking is not desirable or logistically feasible, including cetaceans (Hammond et al 1990, Gonzalez 1994, pinnipeds (Hiby and Lovell 1990), carnivores (Miththapala et al 1989), and birds of prey (Bretagnolle et al 1994). Combining these techniques with modern analytical methods for the study of survival is in early stages of development for most groups.…”

Ecological opportunity drives individual dietary specialization in leopards

“…Due to this intensive search effort, sightings are frequent; on average, 7,870 ± 778 leopard sightings are recorded each year. Leopards in the SSGR are extremely habituated to the presence of game drives and guides are familiar with the resident individuals using their traversing area (individual leopards can be distinguished by their unique pelage patterns; Miththapala, Seidensticker, Phillips, Fernando, & Smallwood, ). Guides are required to record sightings of leopards and other large carnivore species after each game drive.…”