PREVALENCE OF ENDOPARASITE AND PREY PREFERENCE OF TIGER (Panthera tigris tigris) IN WAYANAD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
| dc.contributor.advisor | Arun Zachariah | |
| dc.contributor.author | Arjun, M S | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-12-16T09:15:42Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-12-16T09:15:42Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2016-05-12 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Studies on gastro-intestinal parasitic diversity and prey preference of tigers in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, were conducted from April to September 2015. Coprological analysis of scat samples was carried out to identify the gastro-intestinal parasitic diversity and diet composition in the tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population. A total of 46 scat samples (76.6%) analyzed were found to be positive for endoparasites. Scat analysis for parasitic diversity was carried out by sedimentation method. Gastro-intestinal parasitic analysis revealed the presence of parasites belonging to seven different genera. Diphyllobothrium latum (33 nos.) was the most commonly recorded parasite followed by Paragonimus westermani (25), Taenia sp. (6) Strongyle sp. (4), Trichuris sp. (2), Toxocara sp. (2) and Nematode larvae (2). Although the gastro-intestinal parasitic diversity is less compared to similar studies from other tiger habitats, the number of individuals infected was considerably high. Hair samples of known animals were collected and studied for cuticular and medullary structures. This was used as reference while analyzing the hair from scat samples. A total of 60 scats were analyzed. The tigers in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary were found to be feeding on five prey species. Sambar was the most predominant prey, featuring in 29 of the 60 scat samples (48.33%) followed by Gaur (21.66%), Chital (20%) and Wild Boar (5%). The data revealed that tigers in WWS prefer larger ungulates (i.e. Gaur and Sambar) to smaller prey species such as Wild Boar, Chital and Barking Deer. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810037708 | |
| dc.keywords | Parasitology, Ecology, Scat analysis, Diet | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.pages | 66 | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Kerala Veterinary and animal science university, Pookode | en_US |
| dc.sub | Wildlife Studies | en_US |
| dc.subject | null | en_US |
| dc.theme | Wildlife studies | en_US |
| dc.these.type | M.Sc | en_US |
| dc.title | PREVALENCE OF ENDOPARASITE AND PREY PREFERENCE OF TIGER (Panthera tigris tigris) IN WAYANAD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |