A nocturnal guild with a diurnal exception: Diel activity and temporal overlap among riparian mesocarnivores and their small mammal prey in southern Africa

Abstract Temporal partitioning of activity is a key mechanism facilitating coexistence among ecologically similar species and structuring interactions between predators and prey. Yet, within Africa this has been examined almost exclusively among competing mesocarnivores, rarely extending to their small mammal prey. This study used camera-trap data collected across ten riparian sites spanning multiple biomes in South Africa and Namibia (2017–2024) to characterise diel activity patterns of eight mesocarnivore and small mammal taxa, quantify temporal overlap both among co-occurring mesocarnivores and between mesocarnivores and their small mammal prey, and assess whether activity timing within each taxon was spatially consistent across sites. Seven of eight taxa were classified as nocturnal; only Slender mongoose was strongly diurnal. Pairings involving Slender mongoose consistently showed low overlap with other mesocarnivores (Δ̂ = 0.18–0.38), while overlap among the remaining nocturnal mesocarnivores was moderate to high (Δ̂ = 0.70–0.84). Overlap between mesocarnivores and murids ranged from low (Slender mongoose, Δ̂ = 0.23) to high (Serval, Δ̂ = 0.86), broadly reflecting differences in dietary reliance on this prey group among predator species. Activity timing was spatially consistent across sites for three of four taxa assessed, with Water mongoose showing comparatively lower consistency. These findings indicate that temporal partitioning operates unevenly within this mesocarnivore guild, it is shaped in part by species-specific dietary relationships with prey, and, for most taxa, appears resistant to variation in local site conditions. This study extends existing understanding of African mesocarnivore temporal ecology to include predator–prey dynamics within riparian systems, a habitat and interaction type that has received limited prior attention in the region.