Patterns of coexistence between two mesocarnivores in northern Patagonia in the presence of invasive hares and anthropogenic disturbance
We analysed coexistence patterns between two mesocarnivores, Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi: Felidae) and culpeo fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus: Canidae), in northern Patagonia, Argentina. We examined spatial distribution influenced by land cover, anthropogenic disturbance and invasive hare presence, and analysed temporal activity patterns and dietary composition. If competitive exclusion accounts for carnivore coexistence in this system, we predicted segregation would occur in one or more of these aspects as a mechanism for coexistence.