Fine-scale spatial and temporal overlap of clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) in a tropical evergreen forest of southern Thailand

Understanding how sympatric carnivores coexist within structurally complex tropical evergreen forests is essential for effective wildlife conservation. We examined spatial and temporal overlap between the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), together with their potential prey, in Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Thailand. Camera trapping was conducted at 32 stations arranged in a 140 × 140 m grid within a 200,000 m² (0.2 km²) permanent plot and its surrounding buffer (total area: 533,000 m²; 0.533 km²), producing 33,325 trap-nights from January 2022 to December 2024. Species relative activity was assessed using the relative abundance index (RAI). Temporal activity patterns and overlap were quantified using kernel density estimation and coefficients of temporal overlap (Δ), while spatial overlap was evaluated using Pianka’s index and Bayesian pairwise site-use interaction models. A total of 48 wildlife species were recorded, including several nationally and globally threatened taxa. Both felids occurred at low relative abundance (clouded leopard RAI = 0.08; Asiatic golden cat RAI = 0.13) but were detected across multiple camera stations. Temporal overlap between the two predators was high (Δ = 0.76), whereas spatial overlap was low to moderate (0.24), resulting in low spatiotemporal overlap (0.12). Bayesian analyses revealed no strong evidence of spatial avoidance or attraction between the two felids. In contrast, predator–prey associations were more pronounced. The clouded leopard showed selective spatial overlap with medium-sized ungulates, while the Asiatic golden cat exhibited broader spatial and spatiotemporal overlap with a wider range of prey species. These results suggest that coexistence between the two felids at a fine spatial scale is facilitated by niche partitioning driven primarily by differential space use and prey-linked habitat associations, rather than temporal segregation alone.