Dr. Briana Abrahms and Dr. Kasim Rafiq, along with many collaborators, published this study in PNAS earlier this fall. Animals move through their environments in many different ways, and these movement patterns affect things like hunting, finding mates, and spreading diseases. This study looked at GPS data from over 1,200 wild carnivores—16 canid (dog-like) and 18 felid (cat-like) species from around the world—to see how often they reuse the same travel routes. The researchers found that canids tend to reuse travel paths more than felids. On average, canids had about 15–33% more repeated routes in their home areas. These differences stayed relatively the same even when the animals lived in different kinds of habitats. Understanding how different species reuse travel routes can help scientists better predict animal behavior, and help improve wildlife conservation and management.
Authors: Fagan, W.F., Krishnan, A., Fleming, C., Sharkey, E., Chia, S., Swain, A., Abrahms, B., et al.
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401042122
Photo credit: Leigh West
