Kalahari Cheetahs: Adaptations to an arid region

Description

The cheetah, the fastest terrestrial animal, has widespread appeal amongst wildlife biologists and enthusiasts alike. However, like all all large carnivores, it is increasingly threatened by habitat loss and its status is now classified as 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN. This is the first comprehensive study of cheetah biology in an arid environment, a major component of its current distribution range. The book brings together results from an intensive six year study of the cheetah by the authors in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa and Botswana. It documents a wealth of detailed and direct observations of cheetah population biology and behavioural ecology, adopting an evolutionary approach and providing a conceptual framework for future research and applied management in the context of global environmental change. Kalahari Cheetahs covers topics such as optimal foraging theory, hunting strategies and predator prey relations, mating systems and reproductive strategies and success, inter-specific competition, demography, social organisation, and population limitation. Comparisons with previous cheetah studies reveal the variability of ecological determinants on behaviour, and the behavioural flexibility and ability of these carnivores to adapt to different environments. This advanced textbook is suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers in felid behavioural ecology and conservation biology. It will also be of relevance and use to conservationists, wildlife managers, and African wildlife enthusiasts. Cover Contents Plates 1 Introduction 1.1 Background 1.2 The southern Kalahari region 1.3 Methods 1.4 Summary 1.5 Statistics 2 Morphometrics, demographics, and genetic viability 2.1 Morphometrics 2.2 Demography 2.3 Genetics 2.4 Summary 2.5 Statistics 3 Diet 3.1 Overall diet 3.2 Diets of different demographic groups 3.3 Individual variation in diet 3.4 How important are springbok in the diet of southern Kalahari cheetahs? 3.5 Conclusions 3.6 Summary 3.7 Statistics 4 Prey selection and the impact of cheetah predation on prey populations 4.1 Methods for measuring the dispersion and demographics of cheetah prey 4.2 Springbok 4.3 Steenbok 4.4 Duiker 4.5 Large herbivores and ostriches 4.6 Hares and springhares 4.7 Prey preferences 4.8 Impacts on prey populations: top down or bottom up? 4.9 Summary 4.10 Statistics 5 Twenty-four-hour activity patterns and distances moved 5.1 Activity profile 5.2 Distances moved per 24 h 5.3 Summary 5.4 Statistics 6 Hunting behaviour 6.1 Habitat use and foraging strategy 6.2 Locating prey 6.3 Species-specific hunts 6.4 Hunting success by demographic group 6.5 Cooperative hunting 6.6 Summary 6.7 Statistics 7 Foraging success 7.1 Feeding rates 7.2 Daily consumption rates 7.3 Summary 7.4 Statistics 8 Energetics 8.1 Methods 8.2 Energy expenditure and water turnover 8.3 Dynamics of the chase 8.4 Visualization of accelerometer data 8.5 Conclusions 8.6 Summary 8.7 Statistics 9 Coexistence and the cheetah’s relations with other carnivores 9.1 African savannahs 9.2 Feeding ecology of the large carnivores of the southern Kalahari 9.3 Interactions of cheetahs with large southern Kalahari carnivores 9.4 Conclusions about large carnivore relations in the southern Kalahari 9.5 Interactions with black-backed jackals and other small carnivores 9.6 Summary 9.7 Statistics 10 Socio-spatial organization and spatial ecology 10.1 Methods 10.2 Home range size and use 10.3 Dispersal 10.4 Summary 10.5 Statistics 11 Breeding, cub survival, and female reproductive success 11.1 Births and dens 11.2 Cub survival and a comparison with the Serengeti 11.3 Female reproductive success 11.4 Summary 11.5 Statistics 12 The mating system 12.1 Courtship and mating behaviour 12.2 Interactions between males 12.3 Paternity and male reproductive success 12.4 Ecological correlates of the mating system 12.5 Summary 12.6 Statistics 13 Conservation issues around cheetahs 13.1 Current principles in cheetah conservation 13.2 An evaluation of the current principles for cheetah conservation 13.3 A different paradigm for cheetah conservation 13.4 Summary 14 Epilogue Appendices Appendix 1 Common and scientific names of species mentioned in the text Appendix 2 Details of radio collaring Appendix 3 Customized CyberTracker template Appendix 4 Genetics methodology and analyses Appendix 5 Calculations of biomass eaten Appendix 6 Methods for measuring the abundance and dispersion of prey Appendix 7 Sex and ageing criteria for cheetah antelope prey References Index