A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters.
A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters.
The study, published at a time of growing overlap between cougar and wolf habitats in the western United States, found wolves occasionally killed cougars, but cougars did not kill wolves.
Researchers also found that cougars tend to avoid areas where wolves have made kills and stay close to escape terrain, such as climbable trees. Cougars responded to a decline in elk in the park by killing more deer, which they consume faster, leading to fewer interactions with wolves.
Read more at: Oregon State University
A researcher climbs a tree to reach a cougar that will be collared with a GPS device. Researcher Wesley Binder climbs a tree to reach a cougar to be collared with a GPS device. (Photo Credit: Jake Frank, National Park Service)
