Puma predation on radiocollared and uncollared bighorn sheep

BMC Research Notes

Table 2 Number of GPS location clusters identified and kills located by Pumas

Puma	Total # of Location Clusters Identified^a	Total # of Kills Located	% of Kills w/in Clusters
F7 (Jan 2002-Feb 2003)	94	12	100
M5 (Nov 2002-Jul 2003)	27	6	100
M6 (Nov 2003-Sep 2004)	20	4^b	100^b
Total	141	22

Number of GPS location clusters and bighorn sheep kill sites identified for 3 pumas in the Peninsular Ranges of southern California, USA, January 2002-September 2004. Clusters were defined as consecutive GPS location acquisitions within 24 hours and 200 m of each other.
^a Due to logistical constraints, not all GPS location clusters were investigated for bighorn sheep kills. Additionally, some clusters corresponded to other species like deer so no direct comparison was made.
^b A radiocollared sheep was killed on 7 May 2004. Due to a collar data transmission error from 1 March to 25 May 2004, this kill could not be definitively linked to M6 with the use of GPS data. M6 passed near this kill site in this approximate timeframe and within 928 m of the site on 20 June 2004, based on VHF tracking and GPS data, respectively. This kill was conservatively attributed to M6.

ISSN: 1756-0500