Big Cats Research Articles

Felid scavenging in forensic taphonomic research: An experimental approach

Animal scavenging on human remains presents a major challenge at a forensic scene. These lasting changes can influence the interpretation of a post-mortem interval, the overall state of the remains and any associated evidence, impacting the integrity of the scene. Therefore, identifying taphonomic related changes due to animal scavenging is important to understand the post-deposition sequence of events. However, knowing where to look is challenging and animal scavenging studies are difficult to create. Therefore, this study worked in collaboration with zoological institutes in the UK to capture the scavenging changes to horse bone, focussing on the locations of scavenging on bone and the characteristics left. This study focused on large felid (cheetah, lion, tiger, leopard) scavenging, which is less documented in comparison to canine scavenging. This research demonstrated the distribution patterns of tooth activity associated with large felid scavenging is consistent with those reported in the taphonomic literature on lions. Specifically, pits, punctures, scalloping and furrowing were found and characteristics were frequently noted at the borders and flat regions of bones. This study adds to the forensic discussion of scavenging. While focussing on large cats, the work demonstrates anatomical regions that may be affected by scavenging and the visual cues that may help identify animal interaction over human.

What makes a big cat roar?

What makes a big cat roar?

How large felids of South America are influenced by environmental and anthropogenic variables in the most degraded portion of the Amazon

AbstractWe evaluated the most relevant natural and anthropogenic factors for the occurrence and co‐occurrence of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in the eastern Amazon, the most degraded portion of this tropical rainforest in Brazil. We found that in a context of high human pressure, a more significant amount of primary forest and more significant annual rainfall most positively influence the occurrence of jaguars. In contrast, pumas are negatively influenced by proximity to roads and positively by slope. Additionally, the presence of primary forest areas and high annual rainfall also favour the co‐occurrence of jaguars and pumas in the same areas. In contrast, open areas more related to anthropogenic zones disfavour the co‐occurrence of these two species in this degraded portion of the Amazon. Our results support landscape management for conserving big cat species in the Amazon and reinforce the importance of forest conservation for maintaining big cats in altered landscapes. Although these animals occur in open habitats, in the Amazon, these species are dependent on primary forests, as they are better‐structured habitats that maintain the capacity to support prey and shelter.

14,000 Years Old Atlas of Heaven and Earth: Andean Panel in Inca Sun Temple of South America and Its Root in Paleolithic East Asia

New findings indicated that the Andean panel in the Inca Sun Temple was a relic of an ancient drawing now dated 13,000–15,000 years old. The drawing was an Atlas of Heaven and Earth that contained astronomy, geography, weathering, calendars, and a stratified society. The atlas was seamlessly integrated with dualistic cosmology, religion, ideology, and philosophy. The atlas contained the “Five Divine Stars” of the Sun, the Moon, Rising Venus, Setting Venus, and Polar Star Vega in 12,000 BC. Its “Four Sacred Asterisms” on the ecliptic were the southern Bird, the northern Snake/Turtle, the western Big Cat, and the eastern Dragon. Since the atlas was created, the North Pole has turned 180 degrees on the circle of precession. In the east, there were mountains, monsoon, and thunder. In the west, an easterly running river drained a lake or lagoon into the sea. The atlas had several metaphors. Examples were Genesis of Seven Days Creation, Life Cycles, Andean Cross, later Mayan Eight-Sided Cross, and Chinese Yin Yang Eight Gua. Heaven was round, Earth was square, and the stratification of mankind was a mandate of the Creator. The two calendars had 13 months and four seasons. One of them was a Sidereal calendar with 365 days a year and used Antares for the start of a year and conjunctions with the moon. The other Solar Lunar Calendar had three Leap “Back” Months for alignment with the solar circle. Fu Xi (ca 5,324 BC) composed Chinese dualistic religion presumably based on its drawing. Its contents were also found in China, Japan, Korea, Incans, Mayans, etc., and to some degree in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, India, and Egypt. Its birthplace was assumed to be Paleolithic East Asia, but its exact location was unknown.

The Bony Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses of Big Felids and Domestic Cat: A Study Using Anatomical Techniques, Computed Tomographic Images Reconstructed in Maximum-Intensity Projection, Volume Rendering and 3D Printing Models.

This study aims to develop three-dimensional printing models of the bony nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses of big and domestic cats using reconstructed computed tomographic images. This work included an exhaustive study of the osseous nasal anatomy of the domestic cat carried out through dissections, bone trepanations and sectional anatomy. With the use of OsiriX viewer, the DICOM images were postprocessed to obtaining maximum-intensity projection and volume-rendering reconstructions, which allowed for the visualization of the nasal cavity structures and the paranasal sinuses, providing an improvement in the future anatomical studies and diagnosis of pathologies. DICOM images were also processed with AMIRA software to obtain three-dimensional images using semiautomatic segmentation application. These images were then exported using 3D Slicer software for three-dimensional printing. Molds were printed with the Stratasys 3D printer. In human medicine, three-dimensional printing is already of great importance in the clinical field; however, it has not yet been implemented in veterinary medicine and is a technique that will, in the future, in addition to facilitating the anatomical study and diagnosis of diseases, allow for the development of implants that will improve the treatment of pathologies and the survival of big felids.

Molecular evidence of hepatozoonosis in tigers of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra State of India

BackgroundHepatozoonosis has been reported in many species around the world. Few incidences have been reported in various species of wild felids. Tigers are endangered large cats and are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 under Schedule I. The study was carried out to estimate the positivity rate of hepatozoonosis in tigers of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India.MethodsBlood (n = 21) or tissue samples (n = 5) were collected from 26 wild captured / zoo-born or dead tigers during the quarantine period/post-mortem examination. Blood smear examination along with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) studies were conducted for the detection of hepatozoonosis. All the amplicons from the positive samples were purified and sequenced, and the sequences were subjected to nBLAST analysis to detect the species of Hepatozoon. The sequences were deposited into public domain database of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and accession numbers were allotted. A phylogenetic study was undertaken to understand the evolutionary lineage of the pathogen. Tissue distribution studies were carried out on tissue samples received during post mortem. A clinical case in a tiger cub was managed and sub-clinical cases were monitored for relapse. Age-wise, sex-wise, region-wise and captive time-wise positivity rate was estimated. The data was analyzed using statistical tools.ResultsA total of 12 tigers were found positive for H. felis during the screening. A clinical case was diagnosed and successfully treated. The age group of 0–3 years reported a positivity rate of 66.66%, and all the cases found positive were reported between the age group of 0–7 years. Males reported a positivity rate of 58.33 per cent, while females reported 35.71%. Taboba and Andhari Tiger Reserve of the state had a positivity rate of 52.94 per cent. However, the statistical analysis for blood parameters and positivity rate by ‘t’ test and Chi-squared test were found to be non-significant.ConclusionsAn overall positivity rate of 46.15% indicates the wide distribution of hepatozoonosis among wild tigers of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India, which is strategically important considering the gene flow and migration of tigers. Hepatozoonosis can progress to clinical outcomes in young animals and require veterinary intervention. Molecular tools and phylogenetic studies can supplement important data on circulating species of Hepatozoon in the field. Further studies on the clinical management and epidemiology of the infection in wild felids will comprehend the cause of wildlife conservation.

Coprological study of parasites in wild big cats and their prey in the Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica

Coprological study of parasites in wild big cats and their prey in the Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica

Density and Home Range of Cats in a Small Inhabited Mediterranean Island.

There is growing concern about effectively controlling cat populations due to their impact on biodiversity, especially on islands. To plan this management, it is essential to know the cat population size, sterilization rates, and space they use. Small inhabited islands can have very high cat densities; thus, this study aimed to evaluate cat density and home range on a small tourist island in the Spanish Mediterranean. Surveys in the urban area identified individual cats using a photographic catalog, and camera trapping was conducted in the scrubland area. GPS devices were fitted on three urban cats. The overall cat density was estimated to be 308 cats/km2, varying between the urban area (1084 cats/km2) and the uninhabited scrubland (27 cats/km2). Urban cats had smaller average home ranges (0.38 ha or 1.25 ha, depending on the estimation method) compared to scrubland cats (9.53 ha). Penetration of scrubland cats into the urban area was not detected. These results indicate that the urban area acts as a source of cats for the scrubland. Although the total sterilization rate was high (90.3%), the large cat population implies that the density would take over a decade to decrease to acceptable levels. Therefore, complementary measures for managing this cat population are recommended.

El legado matemático de la escritura cuneiforme: matemática funcional en la antigua mesopotamia

Tourism for the observation of large cats, such as the jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal and the puma in Chilean Patagonia, has emerged as a powerful tool to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development. This article explores the opportunities and challenges associated with this form of tourism, highlighting best practices and strategies for maximizing benefits and mitigating negative impacts. The analysis reveals that big cat tourism can provide significant economic benefits to local communities, creating livelihoods and raising living standards. However, it is crucial to maintain a balance between economic benefits and ecological sustainability. Implementing capacity limits, strict regulations, and sustainable tourism practices are essential to prevent the degradation of natural habitats and animal stress. Tourism education plays a vital role in promoting responsible behaviors among visitors. Orientation programs and the presence of experienced guides help ensure that wildlife interactions are safe and informative. Additionally, collaborating with academic institutions to monitor and research the impact of tourism on feline populations and their habitats is critical for making informed decisions. The involvement of local communities is another critical aspect. Initiatives that ensure communities directly benefit from tourism strengthen local support for conservation efforts and create sustainable income streams. Habitat restoration projects and anti-poaching units, funded by tourism revenue, can promote ecological recovery and reduce threats to wildlife. Diversification of tourism activities is also recommended to distribute pressure on wildlife habitats and extend the stay of tourists. In addition to feline watching, cultural visits, ecological trails and other activities can promote conservation and environmental education. Jaguar and cougar sighting tourism presents a valuable opportunity to promote conservation and economic development. Adopting sustainable tourism practices, education, and community engagement are essential to ensure that this form of tourism continues to thrive, benefiting both wildlife and local communities.

Feline watching tourism in South America: Conservation, sustainability and impacts in the Pantanal and Patagonia

Tourism for the observation of large cats, such as the jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal and the puma in Chilean Patagonia, has emerged as a powerful tool to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development. This article explores the opportunities and challenges associated with this form of tourism, highlighting best practices and strategies for maximizing benefits and mitigating negative impacts. The analysis reveals that big cat tourism can provide significant economic benefits to local communities, creating livelihoods and raising living standards. However, it is crucial to maintain a balance between economic benefits and ecological sustainability. Implementing capacity limits, strict regulations, and sustainable tourism practices are essential to prevent the degradation of natural habitats and animal stress. Tourism education plays a vital role in promoting responsible behaviors among visitors. Orientation programs and the presence of experienced guides help ensure that wildlife interactions are safe and informative. Additionally, collaborating with academic institutions to monitor and research the impact of tourism on feline populations and their habitats is critical for making informed decisions. The involvement of local communities is another critical aspect. Initiatives that ensure communities directly benefit from tourism strengthen local support for conservation efforts and create sustainable income streams. Habitat restoration projects and anti-poaching units, funded by tourism revenue, can promote ecological recovery and reduce threats to wildlife. Diversification of tourism activities is also recommended to distribute pressure on wildlife habitats and extend the stay of tourists. In addition to feline watching, cultural visits, ecological trails and other activities can promote conservation and environmental education. Jaguar and cougar sighting tourism presents a valuable opportunity to promote conservation and economic development. Adopting sustainable tourism practices, education, and community engagement are essential to ensure that this form of tourism continues to thrive, benefiting both wildlife and local communities.

American big cats on the spotlight

ABSTRACT Through content analysis, we reviewed 853 news articles from 2015–2020 to assess how jaguars and pumas are portrayed in Latin America. Science Communication (27%) and Sighting reports (18%) were the most common topics. About half of the news had a positive framing, 37% were neutral, and 12% showed a negative frame. Most of the positive news were related to jaguars (66%), and the negative to pumas (80%). Government agents were the main interest group featured in the news. Residents were often mentioned in the news about pumas, while scientists were related to news on jaguars. Our study provides a baseline to monitor perceptions toward jaguars and pumas across media outlets and offers insights on people-big cats interactions. Efforts could be directed to the improvement of communication between scientists and journalists to disseminate news based on scientific evidence and avoid the use of sensationalism when describing encounters and/or predation events.

Pachyderm and petrichor: Searching for new ways to mitigate the human-elephant conflict

Geosmin, a taste and odor (T & O) compound that has been hypothesized to occur in higher magnitudes in water bodies due to climate change, is a water quality parameter for human consumption, but an olfactory cue for elephants to migrate towards water holes. It is proposed here to culture bacteria capable of geosmin biodegradation for the development of a unitary, or a consortium of microbes, to lower the geosmin content in human settlement-proximal water holes, to discourage the encroachment of elephants to villages.This novel idea aims to protect both, the elephant population and the human footprint in harm’s way, furnishing a program to conserve elephants while ensuring that human lives are protected. The environmental and social impacts of this proposed nature-based solution will be centered on 1. Elephant conservation 2. Reduction of incidences of the human-elephant conflict, which together provide a natural solution to a dilemma that so far has lacked tangible, sustainable, and long-term, bio-centric remedies.This editorial projects to protect both humans and elephants in a climate-change-impacted dry zone of Sri Lanka, where there are an estimated >5000-6000 elephants, which makes up 10% of the Asian elephant population in 2% of the range, the highest density of Asian elephants in any country. In an increasingly water-impoverished landscape, encroaching on human settlements for water and food flares up the human-elephant conflict that claims hundreds of lives across the human-animal divide, in any given year.There is a quote by arguably the greatest artist that walked on this earth, Pablo Picasso, who coined this wonderful line “God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things”. We scientists too need to be like artists – “try other things” to save the opulence of biodiversity – those giraffes, pachyderms and big cats, threatened by habitat expansion and human encroachment, of which the elephant holds the pinnacle rung. This editorial is simply a wake-up call for the scientific community to try other things.

Large Felid Tracks and Bones From Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas

Multiple large cat tracks were found within Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas, representing at least two individuals of the genus Panthera. Large felid bone fragments were also found in a passageway near the tracks. These poorly preserved skeletal remains primarily consist of metapodials and phalanges and represent the North American Pleistocene jaguar, Panthera onca. Fusion of metapodial epiphyses indicate adult foot size had been reached for this large jaguar. One set of tracks is also consistent with the size and morphology of P. onca. The other tracks are much larger than is known for extant or prehistoric jaguars, and are here attributed to Panthera atrox, the American lion. An alternate hypothesis for the smaller tracks is that they could represent a younger P. atrox instead of P. onca. Regardless of the inability to identify the smaller feline prints to species, these remains and tracks from Chilly Bowl Cave record cave utilization by two separate Pleistocene felids, interpreted here as jaguar and American lion.

Error suppression in multicomponent cat codes with photon subtraction and teleamplification

It is known that multiphoton states can be protected from decoherence due to a passive loss channel by applying noiseless attenuation before and noiseless amplification after the channel. In this work, we propose the combined use of multiphoton subtraction on four-component cat codes and teleamplification to effectively suppress errors under detection and environmental losses. The back-action from multiphoton subtraction modifies the encoded qubit encoded on cat states by suppressing the higher photon numbers, while simultaneously ensuring that the original qubit can be recovered effectively through teleamplification followed by error correction, thus preserving its quantum information. With realistic photon subtraction and teleamplification-based scheme followed by optimal error-correcting maps, one can achieve a worst-case fidelity (over all encoded pure states) of over 93.5% (82% with only noisy teleamplification) at a minimum success probability of about 3.42%, under a 10% environmental-loss rate, 95% detector efficiency and sufficiently large cat states with the coherent-state amplitudes of 2. This sets a promising standard for combating large passive losses in quantum-information tasks in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era, such as direct quantum communication or the storage of encoded qubits on the photonic platform.

Turning the tide on big cat trade: Expert opinion on trends and conservation lessons from the Republic of Korea.

Unsustainable trade in big cats affects all species in the genus, Panthera, and is one of the foremost threats to their conservation. To provide further insight into the impact of policy interventions intended to address this issue, we examine the case study of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which in the early 1990s was one of the world's largest importers of tiger (Panthera tigris) bone and a major manufacturer of tiger-derived medicinal products. In 1993, South Korea became a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and introduced a ban on commercial trade in CITES Appendix I-listed big cats a year later. We used an expert-based questionnaire survey and an exploration of the CITES trade database to investigate what has since happened to big cat trade in South Korea. Expert opinion suggested that big cat trade has likely substantially reduced since the early 1990s, as a result of the trade ban and broad socioeconomic changes. However, illegal trade has not been eradicated entirely and we were able to confirm that products reportedly derived from big cats were still publicly available for sale on a range of Korean online marketplaces, sometimes openly. The items most commonly reported by respondents from post-1994 trade and supported by expert-led evidence were tiger and leopard (Panthera pardus) skins and tiger bone wine. Although South Korea may provide a useful case study of a historically significant consumer country for tiger which has made strong progress in addressing unsustainable levels of big cat trade within a short period of time, there remains a need to address recalcitrant small-scale, illegal trade. We also recommend further investigation regarding reports of South Korean nationals being involved in illegal trade in tiger-derived products in Southeast Asia.

Was Hannah Twynnoy Killed by a Tiger in England in 1703? A Historical Sociological Approach

AbstractThis paper approaches globalization through the lens of folk lore, myth, and John Law's hopeful monsters, focusing on Hannah Twynnoy, a woman allegedly killed by a tiger in Malmesbury (England) in 1703. Hannah's death was taken up three hundred years later as a metaphor for globalization when local factory jobs were relocated to a ‘tiger economy’ (Malaysia). Taken to manifest Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury's ‘state of nature’, Hannah's story also illustrates the reverse. Globalization can fragment and deregulate, but globalization assembles and regulates to. Hannah's gravestone and burial records blend real and virtual, local, and global; the genealogy of ‘tigers’ challenges Michel Foucault; and questions regarding blame echo across centuries, in ongoing conflict over agency and causation (as per Edmund Evans). Is globalisation a ‘jungle out there’? No. Local factory jobs did go. Nevertheless, sustaining global intellectual property regulation means the company employs more people in Malmesbury today than before manufacturing relocated. After it was announced that local jobs would be ‘eaten up’ by a ‘tiger economy’, a spate of alien big cat (ABC) sightings near Malmesbury did express what Susan Lepselter calls the inchoate injuries of class and power. Indeed, experiencing such fabulous things did resonate with something real.

Can genetic rescue help save Arabia's last big cat?

Genetic diversity underpins evolutionary potential that is essential for the long-term viability of wildlife populations. Captive populations harbor genetic diversity potentially lost in the wild, which could be valuable for release programs and genetic rescue. The Critically Endangered Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) has disappeared from most of its former range across the Arabian Peninsula, with fewer than 120 individuals left in the wild, and an additional 64 leopards in captivity. We (i) examine genetic diversity in the wild and captive populations to identify global patterns of genetic diversity and structure; (ii) estimate the size of the remaining leopard population across the Dhofar mountains of Oman using spatially explicit capture-recapture models on DNA and camera trap data, and (iii) explore the impact of genetic rescue using three complementary computer modeling approaches. We estimated a population size of 51 (95% CI 32-79) in the Dhofar mountains and found that 8 out of 25 microsatellite alleles present in eight loci in captive leopards were undetected in the wild. This includes two alleles present only in captive founders known to have been wild-sourced from Yemen, which suggests that this captive population represents an important source for genetic rescue. We then assessed the benefits of reintroducing novel genetic diversity into the wild population as well as the risks of elevating the genetic load through the release of captive-bred individuals. Simulations indicate that genetic rescue can improve the long-term viability of the wild population by reducing its genetic load and realized load. The model also suggests that the genetic load has been partly purged in the captive population, potentially making it a valuable source population for genetic rescue. However, the greater loss of its genetic diversity could exacerbate genomic erosion of the wild population during a rescue program, and these risks and benefits should be carefully evaluated. An important next step in the recovery of the Arabian leopard is to empirically validate these conclusions, implement and monitor a genomics-informed management plan, and optimize a strategy for genetic rescue as a tool to recover Arabia's last big cat.

Metabarcoding analysis provides insight into the link between prey and plant intake in a large alpine cat carnivore, the snow leopard.

Species of the family Felidae are thought to be obligate carnivores. However, detection of plants in their faeces raises questions about the role of plants in their diet. This is particularly true for the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). Our study aimed to comprehensively identify the prey and plants consumed by snow leopards. We applied DNA metabarcoding methods on 90 faecal samples of snow leopards collected in Kyrgyzstan, employing one vertebrate and four plant markers. We found that argali (Ovis ammon) was detected only from male snow leopards. Myricaraia sp. was the most consumed among 77 plant operational taxonomic units found in snow leopard samples. It frequently appeared in samples lacking any prey animal DNA, indicating that snow leopards might have consumed this plant especially when their digestive tracts were empty. We also observed differences in the patterns of plant consumption between male and female snow leopards. Our comprehensive overview of prey and plants detected in the faeces of snow leopards and other sympatric mammals will help in formulating hypotheses and guiding future research to understand the adaptive significance of plant-eating behaviour in felids. This knowledge supports the enhancement of their captive environments and the conservation planning of their natural habitats.

Big cats persisting in human-dominated landscape: Habitat suitability and connectivity of leopards in central North China

ContextThe leopard (Panthera pardus), the only large carnivore species occurring in central North China, has undergone substantial range contraction and population decline due to anthropogenic pressure across the region.ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to map its current suitable habitats and assess the degree of connectivity between core habitats to inform future conservation planning of this big cat at the landscape scale.MethodsWe conducted this study in central North China (34°11´ ~ 43°49´N, 103°11´ ~ 123°54´E, about 936,000 km2). We collected occurrence locations (N = 196) of leopards from 2014–2020, and modeled its habitat suitability using an “ensemble” species distribution model by incorporating environmental and anthropogenic variables. We then identified the potential dispersal corridors between core habitat patches (≥ 100 km2) through connectivity analysis.ResultsThe leopards preferred humid forests at higher elevations with less human disturbance. Their suitable habitats were highly fragmented, with main core habitats located in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and the border between Gansu and Ningxia provinces. Among all the 8,679 km2 suitable habitats, we identified 14 core habitats (139–1,084 km2, mean = 495.21 km2) with a total area of 6,933 km2, among which only 25.26% (1,751 km2) are covered by nature reserves and only 11 core habitats were confirmed with leopard occurrence. We also identified 8 least-cost pathways among these core habitats with an average length of 57.22 km.ConclusionsOur results revealed that, leopards are persisting in highly fragmented habitats with fragile connectivity among core habitats. The leopards remaining in North China should be considered and managed as a regional meta-population for their long-term persistence in the human-dominated landscape.

An Anatomical Study Using Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Rhinoscopy of the Nasal Cavity of Domestic Cat (Felis silvestris catus L.) and Big Cats: Lion (Panthera leo leo L.), Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya L.), and Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus S.).

The objective of this work was to study the normal anatomy of the nasal cavity of the three species of big cats (leopard, lion, and cheetah) compared to the domestic cat through the use of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and rhinoscopy. Computed tomography allowed us to clearly visualize the entire bony and cartilaginous framework that supports the nasal cavity. Magnetic resonance imaging permitted better visualization of the soft tissues of this cavity. On the other hand, rhinoscopy enabled the direct visualization of the mucosa of the vestibule and nasal cavity, which is very useful in the diagnosis of masses or foreign bodies. Furthermore, with this technique, it has been possible to observe several small orifices from the nasolacrimal duct, the pharyngeal auditory tube, and the lateral nasal gland. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and rhinoscopy are useful tools in analysis of the anatomical characteristics of the nasal cavity in these species.