Sniffing and spraying: first insights into the marking behaviour in wildcats (Felis silvestris) through a citizen science camera-trapping project in Italy

Marking behaviour is crucial for regulating territoriality in felids. We leveraged a large-scale citizen science camera-trapping project in Italy to investigate European wildcat (Felis silvestris) marking behavior, plus the exploratory sniffing behaviour, in relation to sex, season, substrate and light. We collected wildcat detections (n = 1614) from l697 cameras during 77,595 camera-days and analyzed 106 marking detections originated from 52 individuals (females = 28, males = 24) taken at 55 cameras. We assessed interrelationships between marking behaviour and covariates using Bayesian networks, followed by a hierarchical Bayesian model for estimating the probability of spraying. Marking behaviour was most frequent during spring and winter, with spraying the most observed type of marking, primarily on standing trees. Other relationships included: (i) males marking at higher frequency than females across seasons, in addition to males engaging in spraying when they did not perform clawing; and (ii) sniffing that positively influenced the probability of a subsequent rub.