Predator-prey relationships amongst the larger mammals of the Kruger National Park

Pienaar, U. de V.

doi:10.4102/koedoe.v12i1.753

Cited by 242 publications

(147 citation statements)

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“…As far as the authors are aware, there are no reports of giraffe, for example, biting one another on the trunk/rump during intraspecific combat (Simmons and Scheepers, 1996). Although it is well known that lion will kill giraffe (Pienaar, 1969), the authors cannot find the exact attack method described in the scientific literature; however, natural history documentaries often feature lions leaping onto the giraffe's back to pull it to the ground. Thus, the thickened skin in this region may provide protection against the claws and teeth of potential predators.…”

Section: Potential Dermal Armormentioning

confidence: 78%

Variations in the Thickness and Composition of the Skin of the Giraffe

Sathar

Badlangana

Manger

2010

The Anatomical Record

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This study examined the skin of two 1-to 2-year-old male giraffes and one adult male, determining skin thickness and histological structure with reference to it functioning as a component of the features required for the maintenance of blood pressure, dermal armor, or thermoregulation. It has been argued that a tight skin surrounding the extremities of the giraffe aids in the movement of fluid against gravity, hence preventing pooling of blood and tissue fluid (edema), but the skin has also been implicated in the thermoregulatory capacities and defensive anatomy of many mammalian species. In one of the younger giraffes, one-half of the skin was analyzed from which close to 170 sites were measured. In the other young and adult giraffes, spot tests to confirm the pattern observed in the fully analyzed individual were undertaken. It was discovered that the skin varied in thickness across the entire body and within regions of the body. Histological evaluation revealed that the skin was mostly collagenous, although interesting patterns of elastic fiber densities were also apparent. The skin in the neck and legs exhibited a morphology that may assist in cardiovascular regulation of blood flow to and from the head and legs, and the skin of the trunk and anterior neck has the possibility of functioning in a protective role. The analyses performed could not add any new data regarding the thermoregulatory role already described for giraffe skin. Anat Rec, 293:1615Rec, 293: -1627

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Section: Potential Dermal Armormentioning

confidence: 78%

Variations in the Thickness and Composition of the Skin of the Giraffe

Sathar

Badlangana

Manger

2010

The Anatomical Record

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“…For example, the grey wolf Canis lupus, African wild dog Lycaon pictus and the bush dog Speothos venaticus hunt large animals such as the moose, gazelles, or other antelopes (Estes and Goddard 1967, Pienaar 1969, Mech 1974, 1975, Biben 1982. The male and other pack members consume the carcass and regurgitate food for the female and pups (Kiihme 1965, Mech 1970, Fox 1971, Malcolm and Marten 1982, Estes 1991, although small parts of the carcass may sometimes be carried to the pups (Malcolm and Marten 1982).…”

Section: Comparison With Some Other Canidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time allocation of male and female raccoon dogs to pup rearing at the den

Kauhala¹,

Helle²,

Pietilä³

1998

Acta Theriol.

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. 1998. Time allocation of male and female raccoon dogs to pup rearing at the den. Acta Theriologica 43: 301-310.The proportion of time that male and female raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) spent at the den during pup rearing was studied in Finland using radiotracking. Results were compared with the behaviour of some other canids. Male raccoon dogs spent even more time at the den than females, especially during the day when males remained almost 80% of the time at the den, but females only about 60%. The behaviour of males and females did not differ at night. Consequently, the behaviour of males differed at various times of day and night, but that of females did not. During the 1st month after birth pups were seldom left by themselves: during day both parents were often at the den, but at night only one of them was usually at the den. That males spend more time at the den with pups than females is common behaviour in the raccoon dog and the bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis. These canids feed on small food items that are difficult to carry to the den, especially if food is scarce and widely distributed. Instead, the female forages and nurses the pups, and the male guards the litter. In species with larger food items, the males usually carry food to the den. When food items are very large they cannot be carried to the den, but males and other pack members feed from the carcass and regurgitate food at the den.

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“…All of these approaches bias the dietary results in some manner, usually by the increased detection of larger prey items (Mills 1992). Nonetheless, long term datasets have proved useful in investigating trends in lion diets in the Serengeti (Hopcraft et al 2005), Kruger National Park (KNP; Pienaar 1969, Mills et al 1995, and in private reserves surrounding KNP (Radloff and du Toit 2004), and methods have been suggested to correct biases (Owen-Smith and Mills 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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. Alternative techniques include opportunistic carcass location (Pienaar 1969, Schaller 1972, Mills et al 1995, Radloff and du Toit 2004, stomach content analysis (Smuts 1979), spoor tracking (Eloff 1984), and scat analysis (Purchase 2004). All of these approaches bias the dietary results in some manner, usually by the increased detection of larger prey items (Mills 1992).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2010

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Knowledge of the range, behavior, and feeding habits of large carnivores is fundamental to their successful conservation. Traditionally, the best method to obtain feeding data is through continuous observation, which is not always feasible. Reliable automated methods are needed to obtain sample sizes sufficient for statistical inference. Identification of large carnivore kill sites using Global Positioning System (GPS) data is gaining popularity. We assessed performance of generalized linear regression models (GLM) versus classification trees (CT) in a multi-predator, multi-prey African savanna ecosystem. We applied GLMs and CTs to various combinations of distance travelled data, cluster durations, and environmental factors to predict occurrence of 234 female African lion (Panthera leo) kill sites from 1,477 investigated

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Predator-prey relationships amongst the larger mammals of the Kruger National Park

Abstract: Predator-prey relationships amongst the larger mammals of the Kruger National Par

Cited by 242 publications

References 0 publications

Variations in the Thickness and Composition of the Skin of the Giraffe

Variations in the Thickness and Composition of the Skin of the Giraffe

Time allocation of male and female raccoon dogs to pup rearing at the den

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

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