Quote:

 

Português, não portuga, também não ando a chamar zucas aos brasileiros
There is (or was) another portuguese member around but I don't see him posting for a few years

SETA222

Mar 14 2017, 03:33 AM

Nós mesmos nos chamamos de brazucas, achei q vcs não tinham problemas com isso.

SETA222

 

Anaconda trying to eat a boa

Ceratodromeus

Mar 19 2017, 12:18 PM

Taipan

Jan 10 2012, 02:49 PM

Fox and Lynx in Doñana National Park

CAT NEWS
Issue 6, Spring 1987


by J.R. Rau et al.


J.R. Rau, J.F. Beltran and M. Delibes of the Doñana Ecological Station in southwestern Spain presented a paper on a study of the relationship of fox and lynx in the Doñana National Park at a Seminar in October 1985 on the Ecopathology of Wild and Errant Dogs in the Palaearctic Zone. The following is their summary:


The number of red foxes Vulpes vulpes has increased dramatically over the last few years in the Doñana National Park, whereas a noticeable decrease in the numbers of lynx Lynx pardina has apparently taken place during the same period. The most popular (but rather naive) interpretation of the opposite population trends of foxes and lynx at Doñana correlates these trends and interprets the present situation as a displacement of lynx by an "invasion" of foxes. Such an idea could seem far-fetched to Central and Northern European naturalists, but we must remember that the Spanish lynx is only half the weight of the European lynx. While this hypothesis fails to explain why such an invasion did not occur before, considering the long history of sympatry of both species in the areas, it appears from the data presented in this paper that lynx and fox use different resources. However, the present day partitioning of resources can be viewed as due to a lack of actual competition, as well as an end-result of competition itself. On the other hand, in a stable system, it would be expected that the larger and more efficient predator, in this case the lynx, would displace the smaller and more opportunistic predator, the fox, as seems has been the case in the past. Therefore we should look for an alternative explanation, the appearance of a new disruptive factor operating in the area since the end of the 1970s.

In connection with this, an hypothesis could be put forward -- up to now lynx controlled fox numbers by interference competition (we know of cases of foxes killed by lynx), and were themselves controlled by rabbit availability (in other species of the genus no young survive at low prey density and in our study area no young apparently survived the autumn of 1982). Thus, a persisting low density of rabbits could induce a decrease in the number of lynx, especially in areas where they were already scarce, i.e. scrubland, and favour the build-up of a growing fox population. A further recolonization of the scrubland by lynx could later be made difficult because of competition with a number of foxes much higher than before.

Some other factors can also be put forward to explain both the drop in rabbit numbers, i.e. the severe drought which took place between 1979 and 1983; a new outbreak of myxomatosis; the absence of scrub management etc, and the ability of fox to quickly invade the "emptied" areas, i.e. increased human disturbance in the reserve; increased availability of carrion due to the drought etc. Some alternative hypotheses can also be put forward -- the lynx numbers could decrease in consequence of increased poaching, or of a greater probability of being killed by cars. However, these hypotheses require further research to be proved or falsified. In any case, high fox numbers seem to be more a consequence than a cause of the present low density of the lynx population. At present we feel that the control of foxes would probably not have any noticeable effect on the lynx population.


(J.R. Rau, J.F. Beltran and M. Delibes, Estacion Biologica de Doñana, CSIC, 41013 Sevilla, Spain)

http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/nancy/news/cn06_01.htm

SETA222

Mar 26 2017, 07:17 AM

And a herd of forest African elephants meeting a gabon leopard during those mirror tests: ( had you posted this one already Man Eater? )