The surprising rhythms of Leopards: Females are early birds, males are nocturnal

Date:
September 10, 2020
Source:
University of Copenhagen
Summary:
After 10 months of camera surveillance in the Tanzanian rainforest,
researchers have concluded that female and male leopards are active
at very different times of the day. The discovery contradicts
previous assumptions and could be used to help protect the
endangered feline, whose populations have dwindled by 85 percent
over the past century.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Tanzania's Udzungwa Mountains are carpeted by dense rainforest, making
the area impossible to reach by jeep or other vehicles. As such, the
leopards in this area have never been subject to the prying eyes of researchers. Until now.


========================================================================== After covering 2,500 square kilometers on foot, setting up 164 game
camera traps and collecting more than 5000 days worth of footage from
the area, the Natural History Museum of Denmark's Rasmus W. Havmo/ller
has discovered new and surprising knowledge about these spotted predators.

"I'm the first person to study leopards in this area, simply because
it is so inaccessible. It took several pairs of good hiking boots,
let me put it that way," says Havmo/ller, who never actually got to see
one of the shy leopards with his own eyes. Instead, he had to "settle"
for buffalo and elephants.

While Havmo/ller never caught a glimpse of a leopard himself, his 164
camera traps most certainly did. Using motion sensors, the cameras
captured the leopards, as well as forest antelopes, baboons and other
leopard prey on film.

Camera observations revealed leopard behaviour that contradicts previous assumptions.

"In the past, leopards were thought to be most active at dusk. Very surprisingly, the study shows that leopards hunt and move around at
very different times of the day depending on whether they are females
or males," says Rasmus W. Havmo/ller, who adds: "Females are typically
active from early through late morning, and then a bit before sunset,
while males only really wake up at night." This is the first time that differences in activity patterns between male and female leopards have
been studied.

Differences between male and female leopards have only recently begun
to be studied, so there is still much to learn about the animal. But researchers need to hurry. Rapidly growing human populations in Africa
and India are the greatest threat to these animals, which are forced
from their habitats and shot when they near livestock.

"Globally, things are going awfully for leopards, with sharp declines
in their populations over the past 100 years. Furthermore, these
animals aren't monitored all that well. In part, this is because it
is difficult. But also, because there has been a greater focus on
species that are even more endangered, including lions, tigers and
cheetahs. Therefore, it might be that the leopards in Udzungwa present
the last chance to study these creatures in a diversified environment,
one that has only been lightly impacted by humans, before they end up
becoming highly endangered" explains Rasmus W. Havmo/ller.

The researcher believes that the results will provide a better
understanding of the lives of wild leopards -- an understanding that
may help prevent their complete extinction.

"The fact that female leopards are active well into the morning makes
them more vulnerable to human activities, since this is when we as humans
are most active. To protect something, one needs to have some knowledge
about it. During my study, we also discovered that a leopard from the rainforest doesn't move into semi-arid areas or onto the savannah,
or vice versa. It's very strange.

Why they don't is the next big question," concludes Havmo/ller.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Copenhagen. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. R. W. Havmo/ller, N. S. Jacobsen, N. Scharff, F. Rovero,
F. Zimmermann.

Assessing the activity pattern overlap among leopards ( Panthera
pardus ), potential prey and competitors in a complex landscape
in Tanzania.

Journal of Zoology, 2020; 311 (3): 175 DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12774 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200910110836.htm

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