WCS 3-Sentence Science

Carnivores Are Not Vertically Challenged

January 16, 2020

CREDIT: IR IRAN DOE

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present work by WCS’s Luke Hunter on the influence of landscape topography on the range of Persian leopards.

1. Researchers investigated the influence of vertical relief and three-dimensional landscape features on the home range patterns of Persian leopards (Panthera pardus saxicolor) using GPS telemetry-tracking and globally-available digital elevation models (DEMs).
2. They found that calculating only planimetric (i.e. geographical features independent of elevation such as rivers and lakes) approaches may be underestimating aspects of animal ranging behavior and ecology.
3. They conclude that topography should be considered, not as an ancillary metric, but as an important aspect of home range calculation.

Study and Journal: “Vertical relief facilitates spatial segregation of a high density large carnivore population” from Oikos
WCS Co-Author(s): Luke Hunter, Executive Director, WCS Big Cats Program

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.