1/10/2024 0 Comments Giraffe predators information![]() The researchers discovered that in areas with the most lions, groups with calves more often kept to dense bushes rather than open grasslands, and those groups were smaller in size. “We were testing hypotheses about mother and calf behavior to see if their strategy was for calves to hide in thick bushes to avoid predators, be in the open to see predators coming, or be in large groups for many eyes and lower individual risk.” “Giraffe calves are vulnerable to being killed by lions and other carnivores, while adults are typically large enough to escape predation,” says senior author Barbara König, a professor at the University of Zürich. In contrast, predation risk was a very important factor influencing groups of giraffes with calves. These adult groups formed the largest groups-up to 66 individuals-in the rainy season when food is plentiful, but formed smaller groups during the dry season when food is harder to find. The researchers found that groups composed of only adult giraffes focused on food and not predation risk. So, we wondered how do these options influence giraffe grouping behavior?” Giraffes, predators, and food “There are lots of options in this landscape, including fewer lions outside the parks versus inside. “Giraffes in our huge, unfenced study area can choose from among many different places to spend their time-places with different kinds of trees and bushes, places deep inside protected parks, or places closer to farming towns or ranchlands where people live. “Like all herbivores, giraffes need to find quality food to survive, but also need to avoid lions, or at least see them coming,” says lead author Monica Bond, a PhD candidate at the University of Zürich. The findings, which appear in Oecologia, may help land managers protect the habitats most important for giraffes. Researchers studied giraffe behavior in a 2,000 square kilometer (about 772 square mile) region of Africa and pinpointed some of the special requirements mother giraffes need to keep their babies safe. The risk of predators affects the behavior of giraffe groups with calves more strongly than that of all-adult groups, a new study shows. University Penn State, University of Zurich
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