Habitat selection and feeding ecology of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in thicket vegetation: is the cheetah a savanna specialist?

Abstract

Habitat selection and feeding ecology of a reintroduced population of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus were studied in a 16 000 ha game reserve in the Eastern Cape Province (South Africa). Seventy per cent of the reserve is characterized by very dense thicket vegetation (valley bushveld) and the remainder is open and savannalike. The results illustrated a strong effect of sex and group size on the behaviour of cheetahs. The coalition (three adult males) killed significantly larger animals (55% of kills weighed more than 65 kg) than single female cheetahs (less than 2% of kills weighed more than 65 kg). Female cheetahs showed temporal and spatial avoidance of lions by hunting at dawn and dusk and positioning their home ranges [95% utilization distribution (UDs)] significantly farther from the pride of lions than did the coalition. The coalition hunted earlier and later than female cheetahs, and 46% of their kills were made in darkness. In addition, their home range overlapped that of the lions and they showed neither temporal nor spatial avoidance of the lions. The rates of kleptoparasitism were lower and the kill retention times were longer than those reported elsewhere in Africa, and it is suggested that this is a consequence of the cover provided by the thicket vegetation and prey size. The home ranges (95% UDs) of female cheetahs incorporated more thicket vegetation than that of the coalition, indicating that the coalition is less susceptible to predation than single females. These data suggest that cheetahs possess greater behavioural flexibility than previously reported, that they can hunt successfully in thicket vegetation, sometimes in darkness, that they are not restricted to killing small to medium-sized prey, and that they may not be savanna specialists.

RETRACTED: A primitive Late Pliocene cheetah, and evolution of the cheetah lineage

“…Acinonyx jubatus is an unusual type of felid with a distinct craniodental and skeletal morphology, and, uniquely among felids, it is anatomically adapted for high-speed pursuit in open landscapes (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Cheetahs are now found almost exclusively on the African grasslands and semideserts (3,7,8), but they used to be present in open-forest type habitats in Asia before being exterminated by humans (3,6,9). Cheetahs are usually rare in fossil assemblages and are most often found as isolated fragmentary specimens (2,(10)(11)(12).…”

Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human‐wildlife landscape

“…Previous studies on cheetahs in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania suggest that cheetahs’ high speed hunting strategy requires them to primarily use open plains (Caro, 1994). However, other studies have shown that cheetahs can increase their hunting success using a combination of woody vegetation and open plains (Bissett & Bernard, 2007; Mills et al., 2004), using wooded areas to stalk and the open habitat to pursue and catch prey (Mills et al., 2004). Similarly, cougars ( Puma concolor ) made significantly more kills in edge and edge like areas (areas with trees with a visibility of at least 20 m) as these areas provided an opportunity for cougars to detect prey, while staying hidden during the stalking phase of the hunt (Laundré & Hernández, 2003).…”

“…Despite this, cheetahs’ resource selection within landscapes where they co‐occur with people is still poorly understood. This is mainly because previous habitat selection studies have been conducted in fenced wildlife areas or in areas where the human population density is low, and therefore encounters with people, other than tourists, are minimal (e.g., Bissett & Bernard, 2007; Broomhall, Mills, & Toit, 2003; Broekhuis, Cozzi, Valeix, McNutt, & Macdonald, 2013; Pettorelli, Hilborn, Broekhuis, & Durant, 2009; Welch, Bissett, Perry, & Parker, 2015). These studies have however found that certain environmental factors, such as vegetation and habitat structure, influence cheetahs’ fitness, as it can affect hunting success (Mills, Broomhall, & Du Toit, 2004), cub survival (Broekhuis, 2018) and coexistence with other predators (Broekhuis et al., 2013).…”

Methods for Locating African Lion Kills Using Global Positioning System Movement Data

“…Hunting habits, prey selection, and range use of large African carnivores is best studied through continuous observation (Henschel and Skinner 1990, Mills 1992, Funston et al 2001, Broomhall et al 2003, Bissett and Bernard 2007. In African lions (Panthera leo, hereafter lions), continuous observation data have been used to assess factors that influence both hunting behaviour (Stander 1992a, b;Stander and Albon 1993) and success (van Orsdol 1984, Stander and Albon 1993, Funston et al 2001), but such methods are time-consuming, labour intensive, or logistically unrealistic.…”