Spotted apex predator being pressured by spotted pack hunters – and it’s our fault

by Maria Hornbek, University of Copenhagen
July 02, 2024

Who’s stronger? A solitary leopard or a cackle of hyenas? And which is best at getting along with humans?

University of Copenhagen researchers closely studied this in a large East African natural area surrounded by rural settlements. The study demonstrates that the presence of humans has a direct impact on the competitive relationship between the two large predator species: leopards (Panthera pardus) – the iconic spotted feline and the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) – a kleptoparasite and pack hunter known for its comical appearance and characteristic ‘laugh’.

“We humans continue eating our way into the little bit of wilderness left in the world. As we do, we impact wildlife. This study demonstrates that human disturbance upsets the balance between competing species and that this advantages hyenas,” says Rasmus W. Havmøller, the study’s first author and a postdoc at the University of Copenhagen’s Natural History Museum of Denmark.

Keep reading: https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2024/07/spotted-apex-predator-being-pressured-by-spotted-pack-hunters–and-its-our-fault/

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.4913