Overview
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B published findings confirming an estimated 13.2 pumas per 100 square kilometers, the highest site-specific density recorded.
- Researchers tracked 14 adult pumas with GPS collars from 2019 to 2023 and deployed 32 camera traps to quantify movements, interactions, and predation at a mainland Magellanic penguin colony.
- Pumas concentrated near the colony during the penguin breeding season, shrinking their ranges and repeatedly returning to the same coastal areas.
- When penguins departed for the winter, the cats expanded their ranges, and camera and tracking data showed pumas were about three times more likely to interact near the colony than elsewhere.
- Scientists report that long-term effects on penguin populations remain unknown, as pumas traditionally hunt guanacos and the downstream ecological consequences require continued monitoring.