Core ranges of large carnivores vary within and across species and habitats
Within home ranges, core areas are defined as exclusive areas of intensive use and likely contain features such as preferred foraging areas, dens and rest sites (Ewer, 1968) facilitating many species to co-exist. We computed the number, size and perimeter of core areas across 4 large carnivore species. All home range metrics were calculated using ArcMet tool (ArcGIS). For tigers, we compared the size and number of core areas of individuals of different sexes the same species in varying levels of human disturbance. We also compared the core areas of wolf and dhole – two social canids of comparable body size but contrasting habitats. The significance of the results across species and habitats was tested using paired t-test (Zar, 1984).