Virginia MorellSpecific trees and large rocks in Africa are like bars for male cheetahs, new research reveals. The big cats use these places to find mates and send signals to other males, effectively making them communication hubs for their species.
They may also be key to saving the animals from angry farmers, the study suggests.“Hats off to them!” Tim Caro, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Bristol, says of the researchers’ work.
The study shows the importance of understanding the behavior of wild animals before making conservation management decisions, he notes.Caro’s earlier research served as a starting point for the cheetah study.