Felids

Do male and female lions kill more prey when environmental temperatures increase?

 

Mountain lion (Puma concolor)

Mountain lion (Puma concolor)

African lion (Panthera leo)

African lion (Panthera leo)

 

Overview:

The felids represent one of the most diverse mammalian groups in terms of range of body size, hunting behaviors, morphology, locomotor performance and diversity of habitats in which they live.  From 4 kg domestic cats to 300 kg Siberian tigers,  this group of carnivores often place enormous pressure on their prey populations due to inherently high energetic (caloric) demands.  Consequently, many of the larger wild cats including African lions, tigers, snow leopards, Iberian lynx, and cheetahs are listed as endangered or vulnerable to extinction due to habitat degradation and conflicts with humans.  Our laboratory is conducting some of the first metabolic measurements and analyses of precise movement patterns across landscapes for large wild felids.

 

The goal is to develop conservation plans and critical habitat maps based on the unique biological needs of these charismatic cats to preserve them for future generations.


Primary Lab Member (s):


TMWilliamsTerrie M. Williams
, Principal Investigator

williams@biology.ucsc.edu

 

 

 

CalebBryceCaleb M. Bryce, PhD Candidate

cbryce@ucsc.edu, Website

 


Key Collaborators:

Dr. Christopher C. Wilmers Associate Professor, Environmental Studies University of California, Santa Cruz
 
 
 
Dr. Alayne Oriol Cotterill Director of Research Ewaso Lions
 
 
 
Dr. Margaret Kinnaird Ecologist Wildlife Conservation Society
 
 
 
Steven Ekwanga Project Biologist
 
 
 
Dr. Laurence G. Frank
 Project Director Living With Lions
 
 
 
Thomas Ekiru Research Assistant Ewaso Lions
 

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