Advertising sex and individual identity by long‐distance chirps in wild‐living mature cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Abstract

Adult cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) use long‐distance chirps for calling toward coalition partners (males), mates (both sexes), and cubs (females). Previously, these vocalizations were only investigated in captivity. This study estimates individual and sex‐related acoustic variation of the long‐distance chirps of 20 mature cheetahs (eight males and 12 females older than 4 years) in their natural habitats in Kenya. Male chirps were longer in duration and lower in the peak frequency and all fundamental frequency variables than female chirps. The average value for assignment of the chirps to correct sex with Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) of 93.8% was significantly higher than by‐chance level of 52.9%. The average value of correct assignment of the chirps to individual with DFA was 79.5%, which was significantly higher than the level by chance of 14.8%. For 10 cheetahs recorded twice with time space of one or 2 years, DFA showed high values of correct assignment of the chirps to individual for both years (91.4% in the first year and 83.9% in the second year of recording), but cross‐validation of the chirps recorded in the second year by discriminant functions created for the chirps of the first year showed a dramatic decrease of correct assignment to the level expected by chance (27.2%). We discuss that long‐distance chirps of wild mature cheetahs provide reliable cues to sex and may also encode caller individuality, although this is not stable over time.

Acoustic features of long‐distance calls of wild cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are linked to the caller age from newborns to adults

“…For mature cheetahs, we estimated the effect of sex on the f0 of chirps in a previous study (Chelysheva et al, 2023). In cheetahs of 4 years old and older, the f0max of the chirps was on average 0.76 kHz in males and 0.98 kHz in females (Chelysheva et al, 2023).…”

“…For mature cheetahs, we estimated the effect of sex on the f0 of chirps in a previous study (Chelysheva et al, 2023). In cheetahs of 4 years old and older, the f0max of the chirps was on average 0.76 kHz in males and 0.98 kHz in females (Chelysheva et al, 2023). These differences are consistent with sex dimorphism of body size in this species, up to 15% in captivity (Wildt et al, 1993) and from 15% to 22% in the wild (Caro, 1994; Marker & Dickman, 2003).…”

“…1700 m). This area comprises the Maasai Mara National Reserve (1510 km 2 ), the adjoining conservancies and pastoralist communities in the north and east, and borders with the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) in the south (Chelysheva et al, 2023; Jacobson et al, 2015; Ogutu et al, 2009). The wildlife is free‐ranging over the entire area, where the habitat types are represented by plains covered by dwarf shrubs/short grassland, tall grassland, shrubland, forest, and woody/shrubby grassland (Chelysheva et al, 2023; Oindo et al, 2003).…”

“…For these individuals, we tended to select for analyses equal numbers (usually 20) of chirps per individual per age class. Samples of chirps for cheetahs at 13–14 age classes overlapped with samples of chirps from a previous study: 444 of 455 chirps were used previously (Chelysheva et al, 2023), and 11 chirps were new. Samples of chirps for cheetahs of age classes 1–12 (in total, 1522 chirps) were new.…”

“…In 2‐year‐old and older cheetahs, the f0max was 1.19–1.81 kHz (Smirnova et al, 2016; Volodina, 2000). In cheetahs of 4 years and older, the f0max was on average 0.76 kHz in males and 0.98 kHz in females (Chelysheva et al, 2023). However, a detailed pathway of changes in acoustic parameters of the chirps across ontogeny has yet to be investigated for cheetahs.…”