Narrow dietary niche with high overlap between snow leopards and Himalayan wolves indicates potential for resource competition in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal

Understanding species' dietary ecology and inter-specific interactions is crucial for multi-species conservation planning. In Central Asia and the Himalayas, wolves have recolonized snow leopard habitats, raising considerable concern about resource competition between these apex predators. Using micro-histological analysis of prey species remains (e.g., hair) in their fecal samples, we determined the prey composition, dietary niche breadth, and the extent of diet overlap between these two apex predators in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal.  We analyzed 152 scat samples collected along 89 survey transects from April to June 2021. Our findings reveal a significant overlap in their diets (Pianka’s index= 0.93), with snow leopard and wolf scats containing the remains of 11 and 10 prey species, respectively. However, the interspecific difference in prey selection was apparent with significant deviations between observed and expected prey use indicating non-random prey selection relative t..., The scat samples of snow leopards and Himalayan wolves were collected from the field surveys in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Dolpa, Nepal. From those collected scats, micro-histological analysis was done in the laboratory. , , # Narrow dietary niche with high overlap between snow leopards and Himalayan wolves indicates potential for resource competition in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2280gb623](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2280gb623)

## Description of the data and file structure

This datasheet includes Total number the dietary pattern of the snow leopards andscats: 152 (in rows) Himalayan wolves. The scat samples of snow leopards and Himalayan wolves were collected from the field surveys in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Dolpa, Nepal. From those collected scats, micro-histological analysis was done in the laboratory.

a. Total number of scats: 152 (in rows)

b. Binary digits (0 and 1) from column (B) to column (L) refer to:

          0: Absence

          1: Presence

c. Column (N) indicates the number of species recorded in a single scat.