A key for the identification of the hair of mammals of a snow leopard (Panthera uncia) habitat in Nepal [Clé d'identification des poils de mammifères de l'habitat du léopard des neiges (Panthera uncia) du Népal].

Résumé

Analysis of prey remains in scats, particularly hairs, is widely used to study diet of mammalian predators, but identification of hair is often difficult because hair structures vary considerably both within and between species. Use of photographic reference of diagnostically important hair structures from mammals occuring in a predator's habitat has been found to be convenient for routine identification. A photographic reference key was developed for the identification of hairs of the mammals known to occur in a snow leopard (Panthera uncia) habitat in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. The key included a photographic reference of the diagnostic hair structures of nine species of wild and five species of domestic mammals. The cross-sectional appearance, shape and arragnement of medulla, the ratio of cortex to medulla, and the form and distribution of pigment in medulla and cortex were important diagnostic aids in the identification of hairs.