Abstract. Studies on habitat requirements are essential for efficient management actions. However, detailed
information is still scarce for Niviventer confucianus and Apodemus draco in the Hengduan Mountains on their
habitat requirements. Data on habitats utilized by sympatric N. confucianus and A. draco were collected using
transect line sampling from April to December 2008 in Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, China. The results
indicated that both mammals exhibited an obvious habitat preference across seasons. In spring, N. confucianus
preferred habitats at lower elevations, with thicker leaf litter, lower bamboo cover, shorter total length of
fallen logs and higher tree diversity, and A. draco preferred habitats at lower elevations and with higher
percentage of nut trees. In summer-autumn, N. confucianus frequently occurred at sites with lower elevations
and thicker leaf litter, while A. draco preferred habitats with thicker leaf litter and higher percentage of nut
trees. In winter, N. confucianus preferred sites with lower elevations and dead tree density, and higher canopy
and percentage of nut trees. In contrast, A. draco preferred habitats with thicker leaf litter and higher shrub
density. Variables closely relating to food availability and predation risks contributed more to discriminating
habitat plots from control ones, implying that the two factors played an important role in shaping their
process of habitat selection. In addition, both mammals exhibited a distinct habitat use pattern from each
other, and some variables, such as elevation, contributed more to their habitat separation across seasons,
which can potentially reduce interspecific competition and further facilitate their coexistence in sympatry.