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.
I'm with GuateGojira, Pckts, and Pantherinae on this whole thing. Personally I've never believed the old stories to be true because why such intelligent animals would sacrifice a large amount of their members is beyond me. But let's all look at the situation shall we?
African Lions and African Wild Dogs- In this relationship, it's definitely one where the dog ISN'T chasing the cat, as Lions cause more wild dog deaths than just about anything else if I'm not mistaken. Now wild dogs can be in groups of up to 30 but of course that doesn't help against big cats that are social.
Tigers, Dholes, and Wolves- There are many tales of Dholes attacking and killing healthy adult tigers, but there is no evidence to support these claims, but we have plenty of evidence of vice versa. In the Russian Far Eastern Forests, it is very well known that Siberian Tigers hunt wolves to the point of almost localized extinction, and this happens to be why hunters prefer tigers over wolves, and also the fact that tigers don't limit ungulate populations as much as wolves do. But these animals are social, so how can solitary tigers be dominant over them? Well, a tiger weighs several times more than both species and has enough strength to kill a Dhole or a wolf with a single strikes from the paw and claws, and like spotted hyenas with male Lions, canids clearly are aware in the difference in power between felines. I should also say that I did read somewhere that in 19 locations in Asia where camera traps were set up, Dholes were absent where tigers were caught on camera traps more frequently.
Leopards, Dholes, Wolves, and African Wild Dogs: Unlike the other two cats already mentioned, a leopard is solitary unlike the lion, and it also doesn't have the size and power to kill several pack members, meaning canids can act much more aggressively to leopards than the bigger cats, resulting in leopards getting chased up into trees by the dogs. But leopards can fight back by killing canids on their own, or by killing them when they're resting at night. In India, it has actually been suspected that the intrusion of leopards in Melkote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka has resulted in the exclusion of wolves there, and some people have actually reported leopards eating young wolves. AlexE did post some pictures of fur from a wolf killed by a Persian Leopard, and a Persian Leopard following a wolf in the felid interspecific conflicts thread.
Snow Leopards, Dholes, and Wolves: There is one account of a Snow Leopard taking a kill away from 4 Dholes I think it was, not sure on their interactions with wolves.
Cheetahs and Wild dogs: I'll just say this, you'd better believe the dogs are chasing the cat.
Jaguars, Cougars, Bush Dogs, and Maned Wolves: There are actually no records of Bush Dogs interacting with the big cats, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and these dogs live in small groups, and if I had to speculate, since their groups are small and since they're so small, literally only about 15 pounds, I'd bet that even the cougars dominate them. As for Maned Wolves who are probably sick of people calling them Maned "wolves" when they aren't wolves in the first place, they are solitary, and let's face it, no dog stands a chance against a big cat by itself, and it has now been confirmed that cougars do dominate Maned Wolves.
Cougars, Wolves, and Coyotes: Cougars dominate coyotes, but wolves are a different story. Cougars have been killed by wolf packs, as cougars like leopards don't have the power to kill many pack members and that wolves in North America are in the same weight range as a typical cougar. But these happen in more open spaces, in places like the Bitterroot Mountains, wolf packs are smaller due to the habitat, and the cougars are therefore more confident in their ability to fight wolves and they can put their ambush skills to better use, and wolves have been killed by cougars in these regions. However, the fact that wolves form bigger groups in open spaces is what keeps cougars in the forested areas in the first place.
Can we tell how big cats are doing by the number of wild dogs in the area?
