scholarly journals Prey selection and feeding habits of the large carnivores in the Southern Kalahari

Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. L Mills
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Acinonyx Jubatus ◽  
Connochaetes Taurinus

Prey selection and feeding habits of lions Panthera leo, spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta, cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus and leopards Panthera pardus are investigated. Lions kill mainly adult gemsbok Oryx gazella and blue wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, tending to select older animals of both species and males in the case of gemsbok. Spotted hyaenas also prey mainly on gemsbok and wildebeest, but select for juveniles, particularly from gemsbok. Cheetahs prey heavily on springbok Antidorcas marsupialis lambs and then on adult males and older individuals. Leopards also prey relatively heavily on springbok, but appear to have a wider diet than cheetahs do. It is concluded that predators generally have a small impact on their prey populations in the southern Kalahari, although in the case of springbok they do appear to influence the structure of the population.

scholarly journals Aspects of the ecology and the behaviour of the Leopard Panthera pardus in the Kalahari desert

Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Du P Bothma ◽  
E. A. N Le Riche
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Dense Vegetation ◽  
Kalahari Desert

Tracking in sand revealed data on hunting and kill rates, range, movements, activity, cover and water use, reproduction and interactions with other carnivores, by the leopard Panthera pardus in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. For leopards in the interior, 812,5 km of tracks were followed for 54 days, and 205,1 km for 15 days for females with cubs. In the Nossob riverbed 30,2 km of tracks were folowed in eight days. Medium-sized mammals featured prominently in the diet of all leopards, with prey used influenced by habitat type. Leopards in the interior moved greater distances than those in the Nossob riverbed. Leopards rested frequently at the onset and end of activity and used dense vegetation and aardvark Orycteropus afer and porcupine Hystrix africaeaustralis burrows as daytime cover. Leopards are independent of water, and females apparently have no definite breeding season. Lions Panthera leo dominate leopards, but the outcome of leopard/spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta encounters depend on the size of the leopard and the number of hyaenas in the pack. Leopards in the Kalahari Desert are opportunists which occupy this harsh envi- ronment successfully.

scholarly journals A culture of tolerance: coexisting with large carnivores in the Kafa Highlands, Ethiopia

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 751-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fikirte Gebresenbet ◽  
Brhane Baraki ◽  
Gidey Yirga ◽  
Claudio Sillero-Zubiri ◽  
Hans Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Local Culture ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Classical Economics ◽  
Group Interviews

AbstractWe assessed losses of livestock to lions Panthera leo and leopards Panthera pardus in the Adiyo and Gimbo districts in Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. We quantified the economic impact, conducted household and group interviews, and explored potential solutions with local people. During 2009–2013 there were 350 and 62 attacks by lions and leopards, respectively. Households that suffered attacks on their livestock lost a mean of USD 287 and USD 310 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Although lion attacks are more frequent than leopard attacks, our qualitative data indicate that tolerance for the former is higher because lions are more respected in the local culture. We describe how depredation is culturally mitigated and how retaliatory killing is avoided. Given people's tolerance towards them, carnivores may persist in their highland refugium, opening an arena for conservation that is not strictly linked to protected areas or to classical economics.

scholarly journals Prey selection of lions Panthera leo in a small, enclosed reserve

Koedoe ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Power
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Tragelaphus Strepsiceros ◽  
Connochaetes Taurinus ◽  
Related Mortality ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Aepyceros Melampus

Annual trends in numbers of ungulate species on a 15 km² reserve from 1993 to 1998, were evaluated in the context of lion Panthera leo reintroduction during 1996, and subsequent predation by them. The ungulate prey base was enumerated annually by aerial counts and a road count that took place during 1998. The lion prey record was obtained from direct observations of a radio-located pride of eight lions and daily reserve management records. All ungulate species that underwent precipituous declines were also the most important prey to lions, comprising over 80 % of their prey, and they were preyed upon according to their availability. Lion predation was causal for the declines in wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, Blesbok Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi and Warthog Phacochoerus africana, while the decline in Kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros was only partly ascribed to lions, as other non-lion related mortality sources were identified. The only ungulate species to increase subsequent to lion reintroduction was the Impala Aepyceros melampus, which was furthermore under-selected by lions. The uncontrolled population growth of Impala could have elicited ecological degradation, and it was advised to either not stock Impala, or otherwise control their numbers if lions are unable to do so. Lion hunting success and kill rate, were 21 % (n = 63) and 1 kill/4.4 days, respectively. Three bushpigs Potamochoerus larvatus were killed but not utilised,and this finding is corroborated by an intensive study in Kwazulu-Natal, and this aversion is discussed. Predators can cause unprecedented declines of their prey where the prey are confined to small reserves that have no refuge from predation. On an annual basis, prey may need to be augmented to sustain predators on small reserves

scholarly journals Morphological and Molecular Identification of Spirometra Tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) from Carnivorous Mammals in the Serengeti and Selous Ecosystems of Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 653-660
Author(s):  
Barakaeli Abdieli Ndosi ◽  
Hansol Park ◽  
Dongmin Lee ◽  
Seongjun Choe ◽  
Yeseul Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Internal Transcribed Spacer ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytochrome ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Its1 Region ◽  
Stool Samples

<i>Spirometra</i> tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) collected from carnivorous mammals in Tanzania were identified by the DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (<i>cox</i>1) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and by morphological characteristics. A total of 15 adult worms were collected from stool samples and carcasses of <i>Panthera leo, Panthera pardus</i>, and <i>Crocuta crocuta</i> in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania. Three <i>Spirometra</i> species: <i>S. theileri, S. ranarum</i> and <i>S. erinaceieuropaei</i> were identified based on morphological features. Partial <i>cox</i>1 sequences (400 bp) of 10 specimens were revealed. Eight specimens showed 99.5% similarity with <i>Spirometra theileri</i> (MK955901), 1 specimen showed 99.5% similarity with the Korean <i>S. erinaceieuropaei</i> and 1 specimen had 99.5% similarity with Myanmar <i>S. ranarum</i>. Sequence homology estimates for the ITS1 region of <i>S. theileri</i> were 89.8% with <i>S. erinaceieuropaei</i>, 82.5% with <i>S. decipiens</i>, and 78.3% with <i>S. ranarum</i>; and 94.4% homology was observed between <i>S. decipiens</i> and <i>S. ranarum</i>. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with 4 species of <i>Spirometra</i> and 2 species of <i>Dibothriocephalus</i> (=<i>Diphyllobothrium</i>). By both ML and BI methods, <i>cox</i>1 and ITS1 gave well supported, congruent trees topology of <i>S. erinaceieuropaei</i> and <i>S. theileri</i> with <i>S. decipiens</i> and <i>S. ranarum</i> forming a clade. The <i>Dibothriocephalus</i> species were sisters of each other and collectively forming successive outgroups. Our findings confirmed that 3 <i>Spirometra</i> species (<i>S. theileri, S. ranarum</i>, and <i>S. erinaceieuropaei</i>) are distributed in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania.

Prevalence of Bartonella infection in wild African lions (Panthera leo) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Molia ◽  
B.B Chomel ◽  
R.W Kasten ◽  
C.M Leutenegger ◽  
B.R Steele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Acinonyx Jubatus ◽  
African Lions

scholarly journals Estimating population sizes of lions Panthera leo and spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta in Uganda's savannah parks, using lure count methods

Oryx ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Okot Omoya ◽  
Tutilo Mudumba ◽  
Stephen T. Buckland ◽  
Paul Mulondo ◽  
Andrew J. Plumptre
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Population Sizes

AbstractDespite > 60 years of conservation in Uganda's national parks the populations of lions and spotted hyaenas in these areas have never been estimated using a census method. Estimates for some sites have been extrapolated to other protected areas and educated guesses have been made but there has been nothing more definitive. We used a lure count analysis method of call-up counts to estimate populations of the lion Panthera leo and spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta in the parks where reasonable numbers of these species exist: Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, Murchison Falls Conservation Area and Kidepo Valley National Park. We estimated a total of 408 lions and 324 hyaenas for these three conservation areas. It is unlikely that other conservation areas in Uganda host > 10 lions or > 40 hyaenas. The Queen Elizabeth Protected Area had the largest populations of lions and hyaenas: 140 and 211, respectively. It is estimated that lion numbers have declined by 30% in this protected area since the late 1990s and there are increasing concerns for the long-term viability of both species in Uganda.

Interpreting the diet of extinct ruminants: the case of a non-browsing giraffid

Paleobiology ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Solounias ◽  
Mark Teaford ◽  
Alan Walker
Keyword(s):  
Shape Analysis ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
African Buffalo ◽  
Giraffa Camelopardalis ◽  
Ruminant Species ◽  
Modern Species ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Connochaetes Taurinus ◽  
Rule Out

Modern ruminant species have traditionally been placed in three broad dietary categories (browsers, grazers and intermediates) based on their observed feeding habits. Shape analysis of premaxillary outlines of 31 species of ruminants shows that their premaxillae differ according to their dietary category. Browsers have pointed premaxillae and grazers square ones. Intermediate feeders have intermediate outlines.The Miocene giraffid Samotherium boissieri has always been viewed as a specialized browser similar to the modern okapi, Okapia johnstoni. However, the premaxillary shape of S. boissieri falls very close to the mean of the grazers and is most similar to that of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), a committed grazer.Quantitative analyses of the microscopic wear patterns on the molars reveal significant differences between three modern species from the three dietary groups. S. boissieri has more microscopic scratches on its teeth than either the modern giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis (a browser) or Grant's gazelle Gazella granti (an intermediate feeder). In this respect, it is indistinguishable from the wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus which is a committed grazer.Both of these analyses suggest that this extinct giraffid was a grazer, although we cannot rule out the possibility that it was an intermediate feeder. It was definitely not a specialized browser as are both living members of the Giraffidae.

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