GLTCA lion and leopard scat survey data

We investigated both aspects in African lions (<i>Panthera leo</i>) and leopards (<i>P. pardus</i>) in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTCA) of southern Africa, using SNP-genotyping of non-invasively collected samples. We recorded distinct population differentiation among all sites sampled except between Kruger National Park (RSA) and Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) for both species.

However, closely related lion and leopard individuals are found across these parks, suggesting that dispersal is occurring within the GLTCA, but at a level insufficient to prevent population differentiation. We then investigated dispersal distances in relation to sex and region. We provide tentative evidence that dispersal distances are higher in the prey-depleted, habitat-fragmented Mozambique portion of the GLTCA relative to the prey-abundant KNP for leopards, and the inverse for lions.