Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. An Introduction to the Carnivora

   1. An Introduction to the Carnivora

      • John F. Eisenberg

      Pages 1-9

3. Behavior

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-13

      PDF

   2. Acoustic Communication by Fissiped Carnivores

      • Gustav Peters, W. Chris Wozencraft

      Pages 14-56

   3. The Role of Odor in the Social Lives of Carnivores

      • Martyn L. Gorman, Beverley J. Trowbridge

      Pages 57-88

   4. Behavioral Development of Terrestrial Carnivores

      • Marc Bekoff

      Pages 89-124

   5. The Comparative Behavioral Ecology of Hyenas: The Importance of Diet and Food Dispersion

      • M. G. L. Mills

      Pages 125-142

   6. Intraspecific Variation in Canid Social Systems

      • Patricia D. Moehlman

      Pages 143-163

   7. The Mating Tactics and Spacing Patterns of Solitary Carnivores

      • Mikael Sandell

      Pages 164-182

   8. Carnivore Group Living: Comparative Trends

      • John L. Gittleman

      Pages 183-207

4. Ecology

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 209-211

      PDF

   2. The Feeding Ecology of Giant Pandas and Asiatic Black Bears in the Tangjiahe Reserve, China

      • George B. Schaller, Teng Qitao, Kenneth G. Johnson, Wang Xiaoming, Shen Heming, Hu Jinchu

      Pages 212-241

   3. Adaptations for Aquatic Living by Carnivores

      • James A. Estes

      Pages 242-282

   4. Ecological Constraints on Predation by Large Felids

      • Mel E. Sunquist, Fiona C. Sunquist

      Pages 283-301

   5. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Small Size to Weasels, Mustela Species

      • Carolyn M. King

      Pages 302-334

   6. Basal Rate of Metabolism, Body Size, and Food Habits in the Order Carnivora

      • Brian K. McNab

      Pages 335-354

   7. Patterns of Energy Output During Reproduction in Carnivores

      • Olav T. Oftedal, John L. Gittleman

      Pages 355-378

5. Evolution

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 379-381

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   2. Locomotor Adaptations by Carnivores

      • Mark E. Taylor

      Pages 382-409

   3. Carnivore Dental Adaptations and Diet: A Study of Trophic Diversity within Guilds

      • Blaire Van Valkenburgh

      Pages 410-436

Carnivores have always fascinated us, even though they make up only 10% of all mammalian genera and only about 2% of all mammalian biomass. In Greek mythology most of the gods adorned their robes and helmets with depictions of carnivores, and the great hero Hercules' most famous feat was killing the "invulnerable" lion with his bare hands. Part· of our fascination with carnivores stems from fright and intrigue, and sometimes even hatred because of our direct competition with them. Cases of "man-eating" lions, bears, and wolves, as well as carnivores' reputation as killers of livestock and game, provoke communities and governrpents to adopt sweeping policies to exterminate them. Even President Theodore Roosevelt, proclaimer of a new wildlife protectionism, described the wolf as "the beast of waste and desolation. " The sheer presence and power of carnivores is daunt­ ing: they can move quickly yet silently through forests, attaining rapid bursts of speed when necessary; their massive muscles are aligned to deliver powerful attacks, their large canines and strong jaws rip open carcasses, and their scis­ sor-like carnassials slice meat. Partly because of our fear of these attributes, trophy hunting of carnivores has been, and to a certain extent still is, a sign of bravery and skill. Among some Alaskan Inuit, for example, a man is not eligible for marriage until he has killed a succession of animals of increasing size and dangerousness, culminating with the most menacing, the polar bear.

• adaptation
• biomass
• ecology
• energy
• evolution
• forest

• Department of Zoology and Graduate Programs in Ecology and Ethology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

  John L. Gittleman

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