7/26/2023 0 Comments Who are giraffe predators![]() ![]() In contrast, predation risk was a very important factor influencing groups of giraffes with calves. These adult groups formed the largest groups-up to 66 individuals-in the rainy season when food is plentiful, but formed smaller groups during the dry season when food is harder to find. The study found that groups composed of only adult giraffes were food-focused and not affected by predation risk. So, we wondered how do these options influence giraffe grouping behavior?” There are lots of options in this landscape, including fewer lions outside the parks versus inside. “Giraffes in our huge, unfenced study area can choose from among many different places to spend their time-places with different kinds of trees and bushes, places deep inside protected parks, or places closer to farming towns or ranchlands where people live. “Like all herbivores, giraffes need to find quality food to survive, but also need to avoid lions, or at least see them coming,” said Monica Bond, PhD candidate from the University of Zürich and lead author of the paper. A paper describing the research, which can help land managers to protect the habitats most important for giraffes, appears online in the journal Oecologia. An international team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Zürich studied giraffe behavior in a 2,000 square kilometer region of Africa and pinpointed some of the special requirements needed by mother giraffes to keep their babies safe. We explore the ecological implications of disease ecology on predator–prey interactions and consider opportunities for future research on causal links between GSD and giraffe vulnerability to lion predation.The behavior of giraffe groups with calves is influenced more strongly by the risk of predators than is the behavior of all-adult groups, which is mostly determined by the availability of food. ![]() This is the first study to explore connections between lion predation and GSD. Our results identify giraffes as important prey species for lions in Ruaha National Park and suggest that GSD severity plays a minor role in likelihood of surviving a lion attack. We also found marginal evidence of a positive relationship between giraffes with severe GSD and occurrence of lion marks. Occurrence of lion marks was higher for adults and males in the giraffe population, suggesting that these individuals were more likely to survive lion attacks. For age and sex cohorts combined, 26% (n = 140 of 548) of encountered giraffes displayed evidence of previous lion predation attempts. Although we recorded lions hunting and feeding on 16 different prey species, giraffes represented the largest prey category (27% n = 171 of 641). claw marks, bite marks and missing tails). We monitored lion hunting behaviour and estimated the proportion of the giraffe population with GSD and evidence of ‘lion marks’ from assumed previous lion predation attempts (i.e. We evaluated giraffe–lion interactions in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, where 85% of the giraffe population has GSD. Hypotheses suggest that GSD may negatively affect the likelihood of giraffes surviving lion attacks. Importantly, an emergent disease called giraffe skin disease (GSD) may affect predatory interactions of lions and giraffes. Understanding predator–prey dynamics is particularly important when both species are threatened, as is the case with lions (Panthera leo) and giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Diseases can considerably compromise body condition, potentially weakening the ability of afflicted prey to avoid predation. Rates at which predators encounter, hunt and kill prey are influenced by, among other things, the intrinsic condition of prey. ![]()
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