Can any animals eat porcupines? Surely not as porcupine quills present an impenetrable thicket to most predators. But these backward-pointing defences are only effective if the rodent can keep its assailant to its rear. What animals can eat porcupines? In North America, pumas and fishers (marten-like mammals) are skilled porcupine predators, outmanoeuvring their quarry to launch their attacks from the […]
Tag: Puma
Brazil’s wildcats face multiple diseases due to habitat fragmentation
Every day, millions of Brazilians recall how rich the country’s feline biodiversity is when they reach into their wallets: Since entering circulation in 2010, the ‘50 real’ notes have carried a printed drawing of a jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest feline in the Americas. In Brazil, one can even trace the animal that inspired the design of […]
It looks like a cat, acts like a cat, but don’t be fooled – this is no cat… Discover Madagascar’s agile, stealthy, ferocious apex predator
The fossa is a fascinating and elusive carnivore native to the island of Madagascar. Despite its importance in Madagascar, the fossa remains relatively unknown outside of scientific circles. This is partly due to its secretive nature and the dense, remote forests it inhabits. Unfortunately, the fossa is currently classified as a vulnerable species, facing threats […]
Rare Colocolo Cat Captured on Trail Cam in Chile Sauntering up as if on a Catwalk (Watch)
A conservation nonprofit in Chile has delighted South American ecologists with the daytime camera trap footage of a Pampas cat, an extremely rare, non-endangered, and little-understood small wildcat species. Named after the characteristic South American environment they thrive in, the “Colocolo,” to use the local name, looks like a small lynx, or large house cat. […]
With rare mammal tourism, observing means conserving (commentary)
At the turn of this century, seeing a wild jaguar was exceptionally difficult. People driving through the Jaguar Ecological Reserve in the Pantanal in Brazil would very occasionally get a glimpse of one crossing the road, but photographing them in the wild was considered almost impossible. The same was true for other large iconic cat […]
Family Picnic Gone Wrong: Mountain Lion Mauls Young Boy
Parents of a young child lived a nightmare on Sunday at Malibu Creek State Park in southern California. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), a family group of several children and about six adults were enjoying a picnic when a mountain lion mauled a five-year-old boy. He sustained serious but non-life-threatening […]
They Live Here Too
They are called pumas, mountain lions, panthers and/or cougars. Sadly they are in the sights of man’s rifles and Lugers. They are predators much in need. What is not needed is man’s avarice and greed.
