3.1 Preferred terrain for marking by giant pandas
There was a significant difference in the degree of marking preference between experimental and control lines, with pandas preferring to scent mark on lines with animal trails (Mann-Whitney U = 33.00,P < 0.001, Figure 2). The preference for terrain also differed significantly, with giant pandas preferring to scent mark on ridges, followed by valleys, and finally slopes (Kruskal Wallis test,χ2 = 9.74, P = 0.008, Figure 3). The preferred location for scent marking by giant pandas was ridges with animal trails, while no selection was made for slopes without animal trails (Table S1).