Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism

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Authors

Scantlebury, David M.
Mills, Michael G.L. (Gus)
Wilson, Rory P.
Wilson, John W.
Mills, Margaret E. J.
Durant, Sarah M.
Bennett, Nigel Charles
Bradford, Peter
Marks, Nikki J.
Speakman, John R.

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Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Abstract

Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditures (DEE) of cheetahs were similar to sizebased predictions and positively related to distance travelled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1h/day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more important for population viability.

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Keywords

Flexible energetics, Cheetah, Hunting strategies, Provide resistance, Kleptoparasitism

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Scantlebury, DM, Mills, MGL, Wilson, RP, Wilson, JW, Mills, MEJ, Durant, SM, Bennett, NC, Bradford, P, Marks, NJ & Speakman, JR 2014, 'Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism', Science, vol. 346, no.6205, pp. 79-81.