Small & Medium Carnivores
Small carnivores, weighing less than 0.5 kilograms, are both predators and prey and remain among the least studied mammals. Despite their critical role in ecosystems—controlling populations of small vertebrates and invertebrates, and aiding seed dispersal—these elusive animals are often overlooked in scientific research due to the challenges of studying them in the wild. In Pakistan, small carnivores face significant threats but receive little attention. Using advanced technologies like camera trapping and statistical analysis, SLF is working to gather vital data on the small carnivore populations in the country to aid in their conservation.
Pallas’s Cat
Stockily built and heavily furred, these cats can be found in Central Asia, from the Caspian Sea to Northern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India to Central China, Mongolia, and Southern Russia. The Pallas’s cat lives between 450 to 5,073 meters in cold, arid habitats with cover, especially dry grassland steppes with stone outcrops and […]
Mountain Weasel
The mountain weasel lives primarily in the mountains at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters. These species may be found in mixed taiga, highland steppes, or above timberline among heaps of stones. However, observations suggest that mountain weasels may be able to live in a broader range of habitats. Mountain weasels are mainly nocturnal but […]
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a relatively common small felid, ranging throughout Asia. In Pakistan, its distribution is known to be in northern areas including Murree Hills and Neelum valley (Azad Kashmir). Major threats to their populations are habitat loss due to shifting agriculture, mining, hunting-gathering for subsistence use and local trade. The species is data […]
Stone Marten
Stone martens are agile climbers and excellent swimmers; however, they spend most of their time on the ground. They are crepuscular (active at twilight) and nocturnal (active during the night). Their diet is based on rodents, birds, insects, fruit and berries. They are solitary and territorial animals, with males covering a territory of up to […]
Red Fox
Red foxes are found throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic circle to Central America, the steppes of Central Asia, and Northern Africa. Red Foxes have the widest distribution of any canine and have a wide range of habitat including forests, tundra, prairie, deserts, mountains, farmlands, and urban areas. The red fox is found at […]
Asiatic Jackal
The Asiatic jackal also known as the golden, oriental, or common jackal, is present in South Asia up to Myanmar (formerly Burma), North and East Africa, and Southern Europe. It is a carnivore specie spread commonly throughout Pakistan. Golden jackal pairs forage and rest together. All their behavior is highly synchronized. Cooperative hunting is important […]