Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds.
Warming weather is causing increased conflicts between cheetahs and other African predators, leading to a reduction in food availability for the cheetah population.
A new study finds that endangered cheetahs are more likely to hunt at dawn and dusk on hot days, which increases their odds of conflict with other nocturnal predators. The researchers placed GPS tracking collars on 54 large carnivores in Botswana — including cheetahs, lions, leopards — to track their hours of activity over eight years. They compared this data with maximum daily temperature records. When temperatures soared to nearly 113 degrees Fahrenheit, cheetahs became more nocturnal — increasing their overlapping hunting hours with rival big cats by 16%. The research was published Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
A new study finds that endangered cheetahs are more likely to hunt at dawn and dusk on hot days, which increases their odds of conflict with other nocturnal predators. The researchers placed GPS tracking collars on 54 large carnivores in Botswana — including cheetahs, lions, leopards — to track their hours of activity over eight years. They compared this data with maximum daily temperature records. When temperatures soared to nearly 113 degrees Fahrenheit, cheetahs became more nocturnal — increasing their overlapping hunting hours with rival big cats by 16%. The research was published Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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