A new paper is one in a series of recent studies showing the medium-sized carnivores often take such risks, much more than previously thought
. “It’s also possible, though, that they’re able to assess risk, say, based on how fresh the sign is of the large carnivores or by being more vigilant.”
Prugh stumbled on the phenomenon she calls “fatal attraction” when studying gray wolves in central Alaska. Prevailing thought held that apex predators kept smaller predators in check. But when snowshoe hare numbers crashed in her study area, and coyotes began scavenging much more on wolf kills, she wondered if mesocarnivores might actually benefit from having apex predators around.
Nearby, in the sagebrush and juniper mountainsides of Wyoming, researchers found that coyotes generally avoided areas where lions live.
Fellow mid-level carnivores aren’t always so lucky in parts of Africa. Each additional apex predator, she says, including lions, hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs, puts “super additive” pressure on mesocarnivores by “reducing that enemy-free space.”Mesocarnivores’ dependence on apex predator kills—as coyotes rely on cougars—could either show that predators have less impact on big game populations or more, depending on who you ask, Levi says.
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