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.
(12-05-2019, 09:02 PM)Jimmy Wrote: Yellow throated Marten preying on Cats_ random find on YouTube
I've seen lions having trouble with honey badgers, besides being able to kill them if they're determined enough, but never about musteloids preying on cats:
Predators can shape the distributions and dynamics of their prey through direct and indirect mechanisms. Where prey animals are regarded as pests, the augmentation of predator populations might offer a potential tool in their management.
Declines in invasive non‐native grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis populations in Ireland and Scotland have been related to an increase in range and density of native pine marten Martes martes populations. These reductions in grey squirrel abundance have, in turn, been linked to recovery of native red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris.
Taking the opportunity presented by a conservation translocation of pine martens from Scotland to Wales, we investigated the short‐term effects of exposure to translocated martens on the space use and survival of resident grey squirrels.
Grey squirrel range size and daily distance travelled increased significantly with increasing exposure to martens but we found no effect of marten exposure on the recapture probability (i.e. apparent survival) of the sampled squirrels within the study time frame. This is suggestive of contemporary, non‐lethal effects changing the ranging or foraging regimes of squirrels, due either to predator avoidance and/or earlier lethal effects associated with a reduction in intraspecific competition.
Synthesis and applications. Our evaluation mimics the conditions experienced by grey squirrels at the front edge of naturally recovering pine marten populations and presents direct evidence that pine marten translocations could play an influential role in the behaviour and dynamics of invasive non‐native grey squirrel populations. Translocations of native predators, undertaken primarily for biodiversity conservation, could therefore find additional application in managing the ecological and economic impacts of invasive non‐native prey.
Dereck Joubert:" With the entire world now confronting the unprecedented threat of the coronavirus pandemic, much is being written about the link between the spread of diseases and environmental destruction. Every species depends on the delicate balance within ecosystems – often in quite subtle ways. Just recently, for example, researchers discovered that mongoose transmit more disease in environments that have insufficient predators. Without that ever-looming predatory threat, mongoose are free to spend more of their time on scent-marking to communicate. Those secretions often contain pathogens, so more time spent on scent-marking means more germs are deposited across the habitat. It’s just one small example of how predators are critical for healthy ecosystems – and healthy ecosystems are critical for the health of everything else. "
Musteloids and Mongoose
