behind the big cat's and bear's, who is the top predator?

[Styx38]

(05-24-2020, 03:39 PM)OncaAtrox Wrote:

(05-22-2020, 11:14 PM)Styx38 Wrote:

(06-06-2015, 11:51 PM)faess Wrote: ... 
 
you can't really pick and choose what you want to make a leopard a better predator without evidence. I could also say a cougar can kill all the carnivoras a leopard can kill, but it would just be my opinion. I want to see evidence. I mean how often do you hear of Leopards killing black bears of their size, a matriarch hyena or even sun bears?  Plus as far as big animals go, Cougar has a better success rate of killing them. I mean, its not like cougars have it easy too. They have the biggest  land carnivore (outside of polar bear) and pack hunters to deal with as well.

"Despite their large size, adult moose can and are killed by mountain lions. Four out of seven radio collared moose
released on the Manti in 1995 were killed by mountain lions. Geist (1998) discussed the efficiency of moose in avoiding pursuing and pack hunting predators such as wolves. However, moose may not be as well adapted to ambush type predators such as the mountain lion."

http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/biggame/pdf/moose_plan.pdf

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"People wonder if the cats get beat up during the capture process. F47 went and killed this adult moose just a few days after we recollared her. Its the first time we’ve documented a female cougar killing an adult moose on this project. I guess she is feeling ok!"

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://naturalskills.wordpress.com/category/nature-2


 

The Moose in Utah and Wyoming aren't that big. They are the smallest Moose subspecies of North America.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Grazers edited by John P. Rafferty Associate Editor, Earth Sciences


Weight in Wyoming:

"Male Moose weigh up to approximately 816 lbs (370 kg) and generally grow palmicorn antlers each year. Some males, particularly young animals, may grow antlers that are more cervicorn shaped or similar to Elk (Cervus canadensis) antlers. Adult  Wyoming Species Account  Page 2 of 9 males without antlers can be identified by pedicel scars. Adult female Moose weigh up to 750 lbs (340 kg)."

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Habitat/SWAP/Mammals/Moose.pdf



Weight in Utah:

"Moose (Alces alces) are the largest member of the deer family with 4 subspecies recognized in North America: Shiras moose (A. a. shirasi), Eastern moose (A. a. americana), Northwestern moose (A. a. andersoni), and Alaskan moose (A. a. gigas) (Bubenik 2007). Shiras is the smallest subspecies and the only one to occur in Utah and the western United States. Shiras bulls weigh considerably less than other moose but can still reach 800 pounds"

https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/bg/moose_plan.pdf

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It is not unimpressive for the Cougar, but even a Leopard can pull it off. 

They have killed adult Eland Cows, which are either equal to or bigger than Shirasi Moose bulls.


1. Leopard killed an adult Eland Cow (350-450 kg)

 "Most remarkably, the remains of an adult female eland (Taurotragus oryx (Pallas)) werefound intact, except for the probable removal of the viscera prior to transport into the cave. Bite marks on the neck of the animal clearly indicate that the eland was killed through bite su¡ocation. This animal would have weighed between 350 and 450 kg alive (Skinner & Smithers, 1990; Estes, 1991)"

 Leopard (Panthera pardus Linneaus) cave caching related to anti-theft behaviour in the John Nash Nature Reserve, South Africa  by Darryl J. de Ruiter and Lee R. Berger



2. Another Leopard killed an Eland Cow.

Here are the remains.

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Stuarts’ Field Guide to Tracks & Signs of Southern, Central & East African Wildlife  by  Chris Stuart, Mathilde Stuart



3.  A researcher found two adult Eland females killed by Leopard.

" However, two of the eland killed were adult females, suggesting that leopards in the area are capable of killing large prey weighing over 300 kg. "

The Leopards in this part of South Africa, Little Karoo, are quite small.

"Males: 41.0 kg  Females: 21.0 kg"


Aspects of the Ecology of Leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Little Karoo, South Africa by Gareth Mann

Of course, the researchers use the minimal weights of 300 kg for Eland females, but they tend to be 400+ kg in many area.


Anyway, Leopards can also kill large ungulates.

Cougar predates on moose on other parts of North America too, especially on British Columbia where the moose grows bigger.

Ferocious appetites: Study finds mountain lions may be eating more than previously believed

"Knopff basis his conclusions on data collected from more than 1,500 kill sites while tracking 54 cougars with GPS collars. The collars allowed the University of Alberta researchers, including his wife Aliah, to move in quickly after a kill to identify what was taken and by which lion.
.....
The use of GPS collars enabled Knopff and his colleagues to collect more data. As a result, he found that mountain lions killed more deer, elk and moose during the summer by focusing on juveniles and actually killed fewer animals in winter. The information contradicts previous studies conducted in Idaho.
....The mountain lions' prey included deer, elk, bighorn sheep, coyotes, feral horses, beaver and porcupines.
....Adult male cougars can weigh 140 to 165 pounds. One male cougar in Knopff's study tipped the scales at 180 pounds and primarily fed on moose and feral horses. Females typically weigh around 100 pounds. From nose to tail the big cats can measure 6.5 to 10 feet long. The average lifespan for a male is 8 to 10 years, 12 to 14 for females.
.....
“Our kill rate estimates indicate that adult cougars are highly effective predators, killing at rates at the upper end of those recorded for wolves in both frequency and biomass,” Knopff wrote.
.... “We had one male cougar kill 18 moose in less than a year,” Knopff said.
https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/ferocious-appetites-study-finds-mountain-lions-may-be-eating-more/article_d9cf046b-2c47-539f-a267-972e72e570b6.html

Moose size in BC:

"In autumn, adult cows weigh on average about 340 to 420 kg; adult bulls weigh 450 to 500 kg. The maximum recorded weight is 595 kg, but some bulls are undoubtedly heavier. Moose have long legs to help them travel through fallen timber, muskeg, and deep snow."

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/moose.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjQlZ_opczpAhVwQt8KHWfKCxcQFjABegQICxAG&usg=AOvVaw3UV75ROMAKeQsxQO8Z8xyM

Cougars all across North America predate on ungulates much larger than themselves, in fact every ungulate in in the menu minus adult bison. Moose, elk, wild horse, deer, feral hog, etc.

Actually, the guy mentioned Alberta, Canada.

Found this study on Cougar predation of Moose in that region.

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*This image is copyright of its original author

No adult Moose were found to have been killed by Cougars. All moose killed by cougars (both male and female) were young - 88% were calves and 12% were yearlings.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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