Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution

ISBN-13: 9780412343605 / Angielski / Miękka / 1989 / 620 str.

John L. Gittleman

Opis

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.

Spis treści

An Introduction to the Carnivora.- I Behavior.- 1 Acoustic Communication by Fissiped Carnivores.- 2 The Role of Odor in the Social Lives of Carnivores.- 3 Behavioral Development of Terrestrial Carnivores.- 4 The Comparative Behavioral Ecology of Hyenas: The Importance of Diet and Food Dispersion.- 5 Intraspecific Variation in Canid Social Systems.- 6 The Mating Tactics and Spacing Patterns of Solitary Carnivores.- 7 Carnivore Group Living: Comparative Trends.- II Ecology.- 8 The Feeding Ecology of Giant Pandas and Asiatic Black Bears in the Tangjiahe Reserve, China.- 9 Adaptations for Aquatic Living by Carnivores.- 10 Ecological Constraints on Predation by Large Felids.- 11 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Small Size to Weasels, Mustela Species.- 12 Basal Rate of Metabolism, Body Size, and Food Habits in the Order Carnivora.- 13 Patterns of Energy Output during Reproduction in Carnivores.- III Evolution.- 14 Locomotor Adaptations by Carnivores.- 15 Carnivore Dental Adaptations and Diet: A Study of Trophic Diversity within Guilds.- 16 The Physiology and Evolution of Delayed Implantation in Carnivores.- 17 Molecular and Biochemical Evolution of the Carnivora.- 18 The Phylogeny of the Recent Carnivora.- 19 Fossil History of the Terrestrial Carnivora.- Appendix: Classification of the Recent Carnivora.- W. Chris Wozencraft.- Species and Subject Index.