Activity patterns of reintroduced lion Panthera leo and spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta in the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa

Abstract

Africa's large predator guild competes for a limited food resource base. To minimize the degree of competition, we hypothesized that the two largest members of this guild and its fiercest competitors, the lion and the spotted hyaena, would partition their activity patterns to avoid interacting. We used 96‐h continuous follows of focal animal(s) to determine when the six radio‐collared lions and eight radio‐collared spotted hyaenas, reintroduced into Addo Elephant National Park in 2003/2004, were active using a binomial measure of activity which was defined as movements >100 m during each hourly period. Contrary to our predictions, lions and hyaenas did not partition their activity times, probably because of their current low population densities. Both species exhibited a crepuscular activity pattern although hyaenas were far less active during daylight. A sub‐adult lioness minimized competitive interactions by becoming diurnal. This is likely to be a common strategy for lions that have been expelled from their natal pride to become nomadic, as it allows them to minimize kleptoparasitic and agonistic interactions from competitively dominant conspecifics and competitors. The increase in testosterone that occurs in males upon reaching sexual maturity, darkens their pelage and causes them to be more directly impacted by the heat, and thereby affords females an opportunity to escape from males during hot temperatures. Similarly, the longer pelage of young hyaenas restricts their activity to the cooler night‐time.

Early post-release movement of reintroduced lions (Panthera leo) in Dinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa

“…This coincides with the behaviour observed previously in lions and other carnivores where nomadic individuals became more active diurnally to minimize interactions with dominant competitors (Hayward and Hayward 2006;Hayward and Slowtow 2009). The increase in movement might also result from the animal relocating itself more frequently to minimize the chance of being detected, as highlighted by a shift in home range of the surviving male away from its original range taken by males-release 1 after the death of the coalition member (the authors, unpublished information).…”

Spatial and temporal changes in group dynamics and range use enable anti‐predator responses in African buffalo

“…(Hayward and Hayward 2006). Rainfall ranges between 260 and 530 mm per annum and peaks during the spring and autumn seasons (Landman et al 2008).…”

Improving Standards for At-Risk Butterfly Translocations

“…While numerous vertebrate examples exist [45,46], niche occupancy by another butterfly or phytophagous insect could result in resource competition sufficient enough to hinder reintroduction success. Such risk assessments are critical, especially for strategies that are involving assisted migration under climate change.…”