When Humans Are Near, Female Pumas Kill More But Eat Less

Researchers have discovered that pumas in the Santa Cruz mountains are less likely to kill their prey when human developments are near.

"We investigated how higher housing densities influenced puma behavior at kills and how often they killed," said Justine A. Smith, a Ph.D. candidate in the UC Santa Cruz Environmental Studies Department, in a news release. "We found that female pumas spent less time feeding at kill sites as housing increases."

These effects can hurt potential deer populations as well as puma breeding success, according to researchers.

"Females killed 36 percent more deer per year in developed habitats than in areas with little housing," Smith said. "Increased kill rates may lead carnivores to waste energy and also influence prey survival rates in human-modified landscapes"

"We conclude that food loss and high energy costs due to human avoidance at kill sites is compensated for by increasing kill rates," she added. 

For the study, researchers looked at 30 animals that were captured and released later wearing GPS monitoring collars. The collars helped measure where the animals traveled and measured the bursts of speed. 

Findings showed the greatest impact on pumas was when their hunting territories were within 150 meters of human development.

Furthermore, they found that females have a smaller range than males but kill at higher rates, with females killing an average of 67 deer per year compared to 44 males whose ranges are three times as large.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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