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09:47
Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints
Published on: May 1, 2016
Cheetah do not abandon hunts because they overheat
Robyn S Hetem1, Duncan Mitchell, Brenda A de Witt
1Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Parktown 2193, South Africa. robyn.hetem@wits.ac.za
Biology Letters
|July 26, 2013
Summary
Cheetah abandon hunts not due to overheating, but possibly due to stress hyperthermia. Body temperature increases after successful hunts, suggesting a stress response rather than exercise-induced heat storage.
Area of Science:
- Animal Physiology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Thermoregulation
Background:
- Cheetahs are known for high-speed chases, leading to the assumption they overheat and abandon hunts.
- Previous hypotheses suggested metabolic heat storage compromises cheetah hunting success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of body temperature and heat storage in cheetah hunt abandonment.
- To differentiate between exercise-induced hyperthermia and stress hyperthermia in hunting cheetahs.
Main Methods:
- Biologging devices were used to remotely measure body temperature and locomotor activity in four free-living cheetahs.
- Data collection occurred during spontaneous hunting events.
Main Results:
- Cheetahs abandoned hunts, but not due to overheating; average body temperature was 38.4°C upon termination.
- Body temperature increase after successful hunts (1.3°C ± 0.2°C) was double that of unsuccessful hunts (0.5°C ± 0.1°C), despite similar activity levels.
- Metabolic heat storage did not appear to compromise hunting performance.
Conclusions:
- Hunt abandonment in cheetahs is not primarily caused by overheating.
- Increased body temperature post-hunt may indicate stress hyperthermia, distinct from exercise-induced hyperthermia.
- This finding offers new insights into cheetah physiology and hunting behavior.
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