Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids
Livestock depredation is an important source of conflict for many terrestrial large carnivore species. Understanding the foraging behavior of large carnivores on domestic prey is therefore important for both mitigating conflict and conserving threatened carnivore populations. Handling time is an imp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-11-01
|
| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423002858 |
| _version_ | 1797650694369443840 |
|---|---|
| author | Aimee Tallian Jenny Mattisson Gustaf Samelius John Odden Charudutt Mishra John D.C. Linnell Purevjav Lkhagvajav Örjan Johansson |
| author_facet | Aimee Tallian Jenny Mattisson Gustaf Samelius John Odden Charudutt Mishra John D.C. Linnell Purevjav Lkhagvajav Örjan Johansson |
| author_sort | Aimee Tallian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Livestock depredation is an important source of conflict for many terrestrial large carnivore species. Understanding the foraging behavior of large carnivores on domestic prey is therefore important for both mitigating conflict and conserving threatened carnivore populations. Handling time is an important, albeit often overlooked, component of predatory behavior, as it directly influences access to food biomass, which can affect predator foraging efficiency and subsequent kill rates. We used long-term data on snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in Mongolia (Asia) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Norway (Europe) to examine how large carnivore foraging patterns varied between domestic and wild prey, and how the different landscape characteristics affected those patterns. Our results suggest handling time was generally shorter for domestic compared to wild prey. For snow leopards, rugged terrain was linked to increased handling time for larger prey. For lynx, handling time increased with terrain ruggedness for domestic, but not wild, prey, and was greater in closed compared to open habitats. There were also other differences in snow leopard and lynx foraging behavior, e.g., snow leopards also stayed longer at, and remained closer to, their kill sites than lynx. Shorter handling time suggests that felids may have utilized domestic prey less effectively than wild prey, i.e., they spent less time consuming their prey. This could a) result in an energetic or fitness cost related to decreased felid foraging efficiency caused by the risk of anthropogenic disturbance, or b) exacerbate conflict if reduced handling time associated with easy prey results in increased livestock depredation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:05:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-740ba5a96fae4a11a2b3653a7449e29f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:05:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-740ba5a96fae4a11a2b3653a7449e29f2023-10-25T04:16:19ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942023-11-0147e02650Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felidsAimee Tallian0Jenny Mattisson1Gustaf Samelius2John Odden3Charudutt Mishra4John D.C. Linnell5Purevjav Lkhagvajav6Örjan Johansson7Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway; Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-739 93 Riddarhyttan, Sweden; Corresponding author at: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, NorwayNorwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, NorwaySnow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Seattle, USA; Nordens Ark, Åby säteri, 456 93 Hunnebostrand, SwedenNorwegian Institute for Nature Research, Sognsveien 68, NO-0855 Oslo, NorwaySnow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Seattle, USA; Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, IV Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, IndiaNorwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway; Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Anne Evenstads vei 80, NO-2480 Koppang, NorwaySnow Leopard Conservation Foundation, Khan-Uul Tower, 6th floor, room 602, Khoroo 3, Khan-Uul District, Ulanbaatar, MongoliaGrimsӧ Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-739 93 Riddarhyttan, Sweden; Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Seattle, USALivestock depredation is an important source of conflict for many terrestrial large carnivore species. Understanding the foraging behavior of large carnivores on domestic prey is therefore important for both mitigating conflict and conserving threatened carnivore populations. Handling time is an important, albeit often overlooked, component of predatory behavior, as it directly influences access to food biomass, which can affect predator foraging efficiency and subsequent kill rates. We used long-term data on snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in Mongolia (Asia) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Norway (Europe) to examine how large carnivore foraging patterns varied between domestic and wild prey, and how the different landscape characteristics affected those patterns. Our results suggest handling time was generally shorter for domestic compared to wild prey. For snow leopards, rugged terrain was linked to increased handling time for larger prey. For lynx, handling time increased with terrain ruggedness for domestic, but not wild, prey, and was greater in closed compared to open habitats. There were also other differences in snow leopard and lynx foraging behavior, e.g., snow leopards also stayed longer at, and remained closer to, their kill sites than lynx. Shorter handling time suggests that felids may have utilized domestic prey less effectively than wild prey, i.e., they spent less time consuming their prey. This could a) result in an energetic or fitness cost related to decreased felid foraging efficiency caused by the risk of anthropogenic disturbance, or b) exacerbate conflict if reduced handling time associated with easy prey results in increased livestock depredation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423002858Eurasian lynxHandling timeLandscapeLivestockPredationSnow leopard |
| spellingShingle | Aimee Tallian Jenny Mattisson Gustaf Samelius John Odden Charudutt Mishra John D.C. Linnell Purevjav Lkhagvajav Örjan Johansson Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids Global Ecology and Conservation Eurasian lynx Handling time Landscape Livestock Predation Snow leopard |
| title | Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids |
| title_full | Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids |
| title_fullStr | Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids |
| title_short | Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids |
| title_sort | wild versus domestic prey variation in the kill site behavior of two large felids |
| topic | Eurasian lynx Handling time Landscape Livestock Predation Snow leopard |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423002858 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aimeetallian wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT jennymattisson wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT gustafsamelius wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT johnodden wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT charuduttmishra wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT johndclinnell wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT purevjavlkhagvajav wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids AT orjanjohansson wildversusdomesticpreyvariationinthekillsitebehavioroftwolargefelids |