There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
01-24-2015, 11:53 AM( This post was last modified: 08-09-2020, 05:28 PM by peter )
In the thirties, forties and fifties of the last century, wolves were seen quite often in Sichote-Alin and Manchuria, right in the heart of Amur tiger country. This was when Amur tigers were very close to extinction. Today, wolves are rare in these regions. The reason is Amur tigers actively hunt wolves (as well as other canids) when given half a chance. As wolves are now rare, Amur tigers often turn to dogs in difficult times. This, most probably, is the reason they contracted canine distemper some years ago.
In India, dogs are actively hunted by leopards. They do not seem to be on the menu of tigers. City leopards (Mumbai as well as a few other cities) very often hunt dogs and they seem to thrive on them. Wild canids are not hunted by big cats in India. Wolves usually stay clear of big cats, but dholes, at times, displace leopards and tigers. Kenneth Anderson wrote about tigers killed by dholes half a century ago, but biologists didn't find any proof in the last decades.
In South-America, jaguars prey on dogs. Not as often as leopards in India, but there are plenty of reports from Brazil in particular. When I was in Surinam and French Guyana, I noticed jaguars were much feared by many. I didn't ask the dogs, but noticed they stayed well clear of the forest. There's a small wild canid in South-America. These bush dogs live in groups and are an enigma. I never heard of jaguars and pumas preying on them, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
In the USA and Canada, pumas also attack dogs, but timber wolves are a very different ball game. In Canada, wolves (as well as bears) follow and displace pumas quite often. The result is many have to hunt twice as much as they would without them. Adult male cougars kill adult wolves at times, but females and youngsters often are treed and even killed. One reason for wolf domination is wolves live in packs most of the year. At 80-100 pounds (and some individuals up to 140 pounds and even a bit over), they also are larger than those in other regions.
In Africa, lions do not actively hunt hyena dogs and other wild canids for food, but they won't miss a chance to eliminate competitors. Leopards opportunistically hunt jackals for food in some regions, although not to the same extent as with dogs in Asia.
Big cats and wild canids are competitors and will eliminate each other when given the opportunity. The only big cats actively hunting canids for food seem to be leopards and jaguars, but 'canids' seem to be dogs only. The only big cat actively hunting wild canids (read wolves) is the Amur tiger. In other regions, however, tigers do not hunt wild canids or dogs.
Big cats and wild canids are competitors nearly everywhere, but the only place where they fysically compete (lions and hyenas) is Africa. The outcome of a battle usually seems to be affected by (combined) weight. It usually is a close call. Not so in Canada, where timber wolves, in spite of a few losses, are pushing pumas out of their territory at times. They really seem to struggle in regions with many wolves.
Here's a recent photograph of a dog killed by a jaguar in Brazil. The jaguar, as you can see, also paid:
Can we tell how big cats are doing by the number of wild dogs in the area?
