Endangered dholes (Cuon alpinus) are restricted to small and declining populations in Southeast Asia, and little is known about how their ecology differs within the region. We used DNA‐confirmed scats and prey surveys to determine the seasonal diet and prey selection of dholes in 2 different landscapes that dominate Southeast Asia: closed evergreen forests in hilly terrain in northern Laos, and open deciduous forests in relatively flat terrain in eastern Cambodia. On both sites, muntjac (Muntiacus spp.; 20–28 kg) was the dominant prey item and was selectively consumed over other ungulates in all seasons. Our findings differ from previous conclusions, based largely on studies from India, that the preferred prey weight range of dholes was either 40–60 kg or 130–190 kg. Other important prey were sambar (Rusa unicolor) in Laos, and wild pig (Sus scrofa) and banteng (Bos javanicus) in Cambodia. Seasonal differences in overall diet occurred in Laos, but not Cambodia, primarily because of an increase in livestock consumption. The mean number of dhole scats in group defecation sites was higher in Cambodia (5.9 ± 0.5 [SE]) than Laos (2.4 ± 0.2), suggesting pack sizes were larger in Cambodia. Our results suggest that regardless of land cover type, prey diversity, or pack size, the management of muntjac will be important for conserving dhole populations in Southeast Asia. In Laos, we recommend that local villagers remove livestock from the protected area during the hot‐dry season to reduce livestock predation by dholes. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

中文翻译：

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东南亚常绿与落叶林中洞的食性与猎物选择

濒临灭绝的河豚（Cuon alpinus）只限于东南亚人口的减少和下降，对其区域内生态的差异知之甚少。我们使用了DNA确认的粪便和猎物调查来确定在东南亚占主导地位的2种不同景观中季节性食饵和捕食者的选择：老挝北部丘陵地带的封闭常绿森林和柬埔寨东部相对平坦地带的开阔落叶林。在两个站点上，蒙塔克（Muntiacusspp .; 20-28公斤）是占主导地位的猎物，在所有季节中，它们都比其他有蹄类动物有选择地消费。我们的发现与以前的结论有所不同，后者的结论主要基于印度的研究，即，首选的野禽体重范围是40–60 kg或130–190 kg。其他重要的猎物是老挝的水鹿（Rusa unicolor），野猪（Sus scrofa）和班腾（Bos javanicus）。）在柬埔寨。老挝出现了总体饮食的季节性差异，而柬埔寨则没有，这主要是由于牲畜消费的增加。柬埔寨（5.9±0.5 [SE]）人群排便现场的粪便粪便的平均数量高于老挝（2.4±0.2），这表明柬埔寨的包装数量更大。我们的研究结果表明，无论土地覆盖类型，猎物多样性或包装大小如何，沙丘的管理对于保护东南亚的盲点种群都将非常重要。在老挝，我们建议当地村民在炎热干燥的季节将牲畜从保护区中移出，以减少野禽对牲畜的捕食。©2020作者。Wiley Periodicals LLC代表野生动物协会出版的《野生动物管理杂志》。