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A captive-kept adult male tiger presented with a large cutaneous and subcutaneous mass on the thigh with a fistula. During sedation, multiple nodules were detected and samples for a histopathological exam were collected. Histologically, granulomatous panniculitis and dermatitis were seen around dense aggregates of pigmented fungal hyphae, and a diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis was made; considering the clinical features, it was classified as a eumycotic mycetoma. This is a rarely reported subcutaneous fungal infection in humans and animals, caused by dematiaceous fungi. Clinically, it is characterized by tumefaction, fistulous sinus tracts, and the formation of macroscopically visible grains. In the literature, only a few infections in wild felids have been reported. In this case, Fontana–Masson staining better showed pigmentation and panfungal PCR and sequencing identified Madurella pseudomyectomatis (OP623507) as the causative agent. Systemic therapy with oral administration of itraconazole was planned, but the patient died during the first period of treatment. The animal was not submitted for post-mortem examination. Visceral dissemination of the agent cannot be excluded. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of eumycotic mycetoma by Madurella pseudomycetomatis in a captive tiger.

Documented natural infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in exotic and companion animals following human exposures are uncommon. Those documented in animals are typically mild and self-limiting, and infected animals have only infrequently died or been euthanized. Through a coordinated One Health initiative, necropsies were conducted on 5 animals from different premises that were exposed to humans with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The combination of epidemiologic evidence of exposure and confirmatory real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed infection in 3 cats and a tiger. A dog was a suspect case based on epidemiologic evidence of exposure but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Four animals had respiratory clinical signs that developed 2 to 12 days after exposure. The dog had bronchointerstitial pneumonia and the tiger had bronchopneumonia; both had syncytial-like cells with no detection of SARS-CoV-2. Individual findings in the 3 cats included metastatic mammary carcinoma, congenital renal disease, and myocardial disease. Based on the necropsy findings and a standardized algorithm, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not considered the cause of death in any of the cases. Continued surveillance and necropsy examination of animals with fatal outcomes will further our understanding of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals and the potential role of the virus in development of lesions.

Documented natural infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in exotic and companion animals following human exposures are uncommon. Those documented in animals are typically mild and self-limiting, and infected animals have only infrequently died or been euthanized. Through a coordinated One Health initiative, necropsies were conducted on 5 animals from different premises that were exposed to humans with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The combination of epidemiologic evidence of exposure and confirmatory real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed infection in 3 cats and a tiger. A dog was a suspect case based on epidemiologic evidence of exposure but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Four animals had respiratory clinical signs that developed 2 to 12 days after exposure. The dog had bronchointerstitial pneumonia and the tiger had bronchopneumonia; both had syncytial-like cells with no detection of SARS-CoV-2. Individual findings in the 3 cats included metastatic mammary carcinoma, congenital renal disease, and myocardial disease. Based on the necropsy findings and a standardized algorithm, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not considered the cause of death in any of the cases. Continued surveillance and necropsy examination of animals with fatal outcomes will further our understanding of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals and the potential role of the virus in development of lesions.

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are flagship big cats and attract extensive public attention due to their charismatic features and endangered status. Despite this, little is known about their prehistoric lineages and detailed evolutionary histories. Through palaeogenomic analyses, we identified a Pleistocene tiger from northeastern China, dated to beyond the limits of radiocarbon dating (greater than 43 500 years ago). We used a simulated dataset and different reads processing pipelines to test the validity of our results and confirmed that, in both mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies, this ancient individual belongs to a previously unknown lineage that diverged prior to modern tiger diversification. Based on the mitochondrial genome, the divergence time of this ancient lineage was estimated to be approximately 268 ka (95% CI: 187-353 ka), doubling the known age of tigers' maternal ancestor to around 125 ka (95% CI: 88-168 ka). Furthermore, by combining our findings with putative mechanisms underlying the discordant mito-nuclear phylogenetic placement for the South China tigers, we proposed a more complex scenario of tiger evolution that would otherwise be missed using data from modern tigers only. Our study provides the first glimpses of the genetic antiquity of tigers and demonstrates the utility of aDNA-based investigation for further understanding tiger evolution.

Documented natural infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in exotic and companion animals following human exposures are uncommon. Those documented in animals are typically mild and self-limiting, and infected animals have only infrequently died or been euthanized. Through a coordinated One Health initiative, necropsies were conducted on 5 animals from different premises that were exposed to humans with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The combination of epidemiologic evidence of exposure and confirmatory real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed infection in 3 cats and a tiger. A dog was a suspect case based on epidemiologic evidence of exposure but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Four animals had respiratory clinical signs that developed 2 to 12 days after exposure. The dog had bronchointerstitial pneumonia and the tiger had bronchopneumonia; both had syncytial-like cells with no detection of SARS-CoV-2. Individual findings in the 3 cats included metastatic mammary carcinoma, congenital renal disease, and myocardial disease. Based on the necropsy findings and a standardized algorithm, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not considered the cause of death in any of the cases. Continued surveillance and necropsy examination of animals with fatal outcomes will further our understanding of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals and the potential role of the virus in development of lesions.

Better conservation planning requires updated information about leopard distribution to prioritize and allocate limited resources available. The long-term persistence of leopards and sympatric tigers can be compromised by linear infrastructure development such as roads that fragment habitat. We used detection and non-detection data collected along walking search paths (similar to 4140 km) in 96 grid cells (each cell 15 km by 15 km) spread across potential habitat (similar to 13,845 km(2)) in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Multi-season occupancy models allowed us to make both spatial and temporal inferences between two surveys in 2009 and 2013, based on ecologically relevant covariates recorded in the field or remotely sensed. Additionally, we used 2013 data to make inferences on co-occurrence between tigers and leopards at the landscape level. We found the additive model containing deforestation and district roads negatively influenced leopard detection across the landscape. Although weak, we found anthropogenic factors such as extent of deforestation (decrease in forest cover) negatively affected leopard occupancy. Road abundance, especially for the east-west highway and district roads, also negatively (but weakly) influenced leopard occupancy. We found substantially lower occupancy in the year 2013 (0.59 (SE 0.06)) than in 2009 (0.86 (SE 0.04)). Tigers and leopards co-occurred across the landscape based on the species interaction factor (SIF) estimated at 1.47 (0.13) but the amount of available habitat and the prey index mediated co-occurrence. The SIF decreased as habitat availability increased, reaching independence at large habitat patches, but leopard occupancy declined in sites with tigers, primarily in large patches. The prey index was substantially lower outside of protected areas and leopards and tigers co-occurred more strongly in small patches and at low prey indices, indicating potential attraction to the same areas when prey is scarce. Mitigation meas

Better conservation planning requires updated information about leopard distribution to prioritize and allocate limited resources available. The long-term persistence of leopards and sympatric tigers can be compromised by linear infrastructure development such as roads that fragment habitat. We used detection and non-detection data collected along walking search paths (similar to 4140 km) in 96 grid cells (each cell 15 km by 15 km) spread across potential habitat (similar to 13,845 km(2)) in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Multi-season occupancy models allowed us to make both spatial and temporal inferences between two surveys in 2009 and 2013, based on ecologically relevant covariates recorded in the field or remotely sensed. Additionally, we used 2013 data to make inferences on co-occurrence between tigers and leopards at the landscape level. We found the additive model containing deforestation and district roads negatively influenced leopard detection across the landscape. Although weak, we found anthropogenic factors such as extent of deforestation (decrease in forest cover) negatively affected leopard occupancy. Road abundance, especially for the east-west highway and district roads, also negatively (but weakly) influenced leopard occupancy. We found substantially lower occupancy in the year 2013 (0.59 (SE 0.06)) than in 2009 (0.86 (SE 0.04)). Tigers and leopards co-occurred across the landscape based on the species interaction factor (SIF) estimated at 1.47 (0.13) but the amount of available habitat and the prey index mediated co-occurrence. The SIF decreased as habitat availability increased, reaching independence at large habitat patches, but leopard occupancy declined in sites with tigers, primarily in large patches. The prey index was substantially lower outside of protected areas and leopards and tigers co-occurred more strongly in small patches and at low prey indices, indicating potential attraction to the same areas when prey is scarce. Mitigation meas

Background. Multiple studies have demonstrated that partitioning of molecular datasets is important in model-based phylogenetic analyses. Commonly, partitioning is done a priori based on some known properties of sequence evolution, e.g. differences in rate of evolution among codon positions of a protein-coding gene. Here we propose a new method for data partitioning based on relative evolutionary rates of the sites in the alignment of the dataset being analysed. The rates are inferred using the previously published Tree Independent Generation of Evolutionary Rates (TIGER), and the partitioning is conducted using our novel python script RatePartitions. We conducted simulations to assess the performance of our new method, and we applied it to eight published multi-locus phylogenetic datasets, representing different taxonomic ranks within the insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and one phylogenomic dataset, which included ultra-conserved elements as well as introns. Methods. We used TIGER-rates to generate relative evolutionary rates for all sites in the alignments. Then, using RatePartitions, we partitioned the data into partitions based on their relative evolutionary rate. RatePartitions applies a simple formula that ensures a distribution of sites into partitions following the distribution of rates of the characters from the full dataset. This ensures that the invariable sites are placed in a partition with slowly evolving sites, avoiding the pitfalls of previously used methods, such as kmeans. Different partitioning strategies were evaluated using BIC scores as calculated by PartitionFinder. Results. Simulations did not highlight any misbehaviour of our partitioning approach, even under difficult parameter conditions or missing data. In all eight phylogenetic datasets, partitioning using TIGER-rates and RatePartitions was significantly better as measured by the BIC scores than other partitioning strategies, such as the commonly used partitioning by gen

Background. Multiple studies have demonstrated that partitioning of molecular datasets is important in model-based phylogenetic analyses. Commonly, partitioning is done a priori based on some known properties of sequence evolution, e.g. differences in rate of evolution among codon positions of a protein-coding gene. Here we propose a new method for data partitioning based on relative evolutionary rates of the sites in the alignment of the dataset being analysed. The rates are inferred using the previously published Tree Independent Generation of Evolutionary Rates (TIGER), and the partitioning is conducted using our novel python script RatePartitions. We conducted simulations to assess the performance of our new method, and we applied it to eight published multi-locus phylogenetic datasets, representing different taxonomic ranks within the insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and one phylogenomic dataset, which included ultra-conserved elements as well as introns. Methods. We used TIGER-rates to generate relative evolutionary rates for all sites in the alignments. Then, using RatePartitions, we partitioned the data into partitions based on their relative evolutionary rate. RatePartitions applies a simple formula that ensures a distribution of sites into partitions following the distribution of rates of the characters from the full dataset. This ensures that the invariable sites are placed in a partition with slowly evolving sites, avoiding the pitfalls of previously used methods, such as kmeans. Different partitioning strategies were evaluated using BIC scores as calculated by PartitionFinder. Results. Simulations did not highlight any misbehaviour of our partitioning approach, even under difficult parameter conditions or missing data. In all eight phylogenetic datasets, partitioning using TIGER-rates and RatePartitions was significantly better as measured by the BIC scores than other partitioning strategies, such as the commonly used partitioning by gen

Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and for-aging strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal (Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014-2016. We collected 268 scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32-48 camera-traps and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area, our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based on visual identificatio

Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) populations worldwide have been drastically reduced in number over the past several decades. The Primorye region of the Russian Far East remains one of the final strongholds for the estimated 400 Siberian tigers remaining in the wild. As a flagship species, Siberian tigers play a crucial socio-economic role in helping agencies and non-profits to motivate, fund, and implement broader conservation efforts. Even while defended by organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Siberian tigers in Primorye face an onslaught of threats to their continued existence. Profound land use changes due to the proliferation of wildfire (habitat loss), and the effects of wildlife poaching (loss of prey and individual tigers) represent the greatest threats to Siberian tigers in this region. Understanding where wildfire and poaching are most likely to occur can help inform fire management strategies, and anti-poaching ranger patrols led by WCS and the Russian National Park Service. I used a spatial statistics approach to model predictions of wildfire occurrence, and the likelihood of poaching violations across a 7,440 km2 portion of Southwest Primorye, which includes the 2,620 km2 Land of the Leopard National Park. I found that wildfires are tied to the presence of humans on the landscape. Proximity to settlements and roadways were highly correlated with an increased likelihood of burning. Additionally, terrain characterized by low slopes, and drier, south aspects were also at an increased risk of burning. Predictive mapping of wildfire indicated that coastal areas in the central portion of the study area, and much of the northern extent of the study area are the most likely to experience burning. My occupancy model-based investigation of poaching violations found that proximity to human development, and topographical features both affect the probability of rangers detecting a direct or indirect poaching violation on the landsca

Olfactory signals are an important means of social communication among felids. However, not much is known about how individual volatiles of body-borne odours influence behavioural responses. 2-acetyl-1pyrroline has recently been identified as a characteristic component of tiger marking fluid, while being absent from lion marking fluid. One pride each of captive Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and African lions (Panthera leo) were presented with wooden logs impregnated with four different odours and their behaviour was observed. The tigers displayed significantly more interactions towards the marking fluid component (2-acetyl-1-pyrroline), the conspecific urine odour, and the fruity odour (iso-pentyl acetate) than towards the near odourless control (diethyl phthalate). The lions displayed significantly more behaviours towards conspecific urine than towards any of the other odours. In general all lions interacted more with the logs than tigers. Hence, these results support the notion that 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline is a species-specific odorant for tiger olfactory communication. Furthermore, the results show that a single compound (2-acetyl-1pyrroline) can elicit behavioural responses to the same degree as a complex chemical mixture (tiger urine). The high number of interactions performed by both species towards the wooden logs impregnated with conspecific urine suggests that conspecific odours are suitable to use as olfactory enrichment for captive felids.

Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and for-aging strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal (Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014-2016. We collected 268 scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32-48 camera-traps and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area, our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based on visual identificatio

Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and for-aging strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal (Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014-2016. We collected 268 scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32-48 camera-traps and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area, our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based on visual identificatio

Animals under the family Felidae both domesticated and in the wild are potentially harbouring viruses of importance to other animals and humans. Canine Parvovirus (CPV) is a single stranded DNA virus which known to cause severe disease in younger unvaccinated animals. Despite the widespread vaccination of domestic carnivores, CPV is still an important pathogen of domestic and wild carnivores. In addition, CPV able to infect a wide range of feline hosts, hence, allowing it to infect both cats and dogs. Although, CPV is well studied in canine, limited information is available on it occurrence in various species of felids found in Malaysia. This study investigated detection of viruses of potential importance in different species of felines namely leopards, feral cats and tigers in Malaysia based on virus isolation in Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cells, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using gene-specific primers and sequence analysis. From a total of 36 samples collected, 11 samples showed cytopathic effect in cell culture and were subjected to PCR using specific primers for feline herpesvirus (FHV), feline calicivirus (FCV), canine distemper virus (CDV) and CPV. However, only one sample from a tiger was detected positive for canine parvovirus (CPV). The entire viral genome of the sample CPV/MY/MT4 was amplified by PCR for sequencing using Sanger sequencing approach. Genome sequencing of the isolate revealed substitution of amino acid which characterized the isolate as variant CPV namely new CPV-2a with a characteristic’s amino acid substitution at position 297 of VP2 gene from serine to alanine (297-Ser-Ala). Additionally, at amino acid residue 426, isolate CPV/MY/MT4 have amino acid substitution aspartic acid to asparagine (Asp-426-Asn), which also revealed that the isolate has specific amino acid for CPV-2a. In addition, CPV/MY/MT4 was found to be phylogenetically close to new CPV-2a strain from other countries namely USA and Japan. The rest of the other new CP

Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and for-aging strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal (Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014-2016. We collected 268 scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32-48 camera-traps and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area, our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based on visual identificatio

Animals under the family Felidae both domesticated and in the wild are potentially harbouring viruses of importance to other animals and humans. Canine Parvovirus (CPV) is a single stranded DNA virus which known to cause severe disease in younger unvaccinated animals. Despite the widespread vaccination of domestic carnivores, CPV is still an important pathogen of domestic and wild carnivores. In addition, CPV able to infect a wide range of feline hosts, hence, allowing it to infect both cats and dogs. Although, CPV is well studied in canine, limited information is available on it occurrence in various species of felids found in Malaysia. This study investigated detection of viruses of potential importance in different species of felines namely leopards, feral cats and tigers in Malaysia based on virus isolation in Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cells, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using gene-specific primers and sequence analysis. From a total of 36 samples collected, 11 samples showed cytopathic effect in cell culture and were subjected to PCR using specific primers for feline herpesvirus (FHV), feline calicivirus (FCV), canine distemper virus (CDV) and CPV. However, only one sample from a tiger was detected positive for canine parvovirus (CPV). The entire viral genome of the sample CPV/MY/MT4 was amplified by PCR for sequencing using Sanger sequencing approach. Genome sequencing of the isolate revealed substitution of amino acid which characterized the isolate as variant CPV namely new CPV-2a with a characteristic’s amino acid substitution at position 297 of VP2 gene from serine to alanine (297-Ser-Ala). Additionally, at amino acid residue 426, isolate CPV/MY/MT4 have amino acid substitution aspartic acid to asparagine (Asp-426-Asn), which also revealed that the isolate has specific amino acid for CPV-2a. In addition, CPV/MY/MT4 was found to be phylogenetically close to new CPV-2a strain from other countries namely USA and Japan. The rest of the other new CP

Olfactory signals are an important means of social communication among felids. However, not much is known about how individual volatiles of body-borne odours influence behavioural responses. 2-acetyl-1pyrroline has recently been identified as a characteristic component of tiger marking fluid, while being absent from lion marking fluid. One pride each of captive Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and African lions (Panthera leo) were presented with wooden logs impregnated with four different odours and their behaviour was observed. The tigers displayed significantly more interactions towards the marking fluid component (2-acetyl-1-pyrroline), the conspecific urine odour, and the fruity odour (iso-pentyl acetate) than towards the near odourless control (diethyl phthalate). The lions displayed significantly more behaviours towards conspecific urine than towards any of the other odours. In general all lions interacted more with the logs than tigers. Hence, these results support the notion that 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline is a species-specific odorant for tiger olfactory communication. Furthermore, the results show that a single compound (2-acetyl-1pyrroline) can elicit behavioural responses to the same degree as a complex chemical mixture (tiger urine). The high number of interactions performed by both species towards the wooden logs impregnated with conspecific urine suggests that conspecific odours are suitable to use as olfactory enrichment for captive felids.

The University of New Mexico(UNM) stores data on students, faculty, and staff at the University. The data is used to generate reports and fill surveys for several local, statewide and nationwide reporting entities. The reports convey statistical and analytical information such as the graduation rates, retention, performance, ethnicity, age, and gender of students. Furthermore, the Institute of Design and Innovation (IDI), and the Office of Institutional Analytics (OIA) at UNM use the data provided for various predictive studies aimed at improving student outcomes. This thesis proposes geospatial data as an additional layer of information for the data repository. The paper runs through the general steps involved in setting up a geospatial database using PostgreSQL and geospatial extensions including PostGIS, Tiger Geocoder, and Address Standardizer. With geospatial functionality incorporated into the data repository, the university can know how far students live, which amenities are in proximity to students, and other geospatial features which describe students’ journeys through college. To demonstrate how the university could exploit geospatial functionality a dataset of UNM students is spatially joined to socioeconomic data from the United States’ Census Bureau. Various student related geospatial queries are shown, as well as, how to set up a geospatial database.

This article is featured in the journal Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities, volume 4.

This article is featured in the journal Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities, volume 4.

Effective conservation planning of globally endangered tigers (Panthera tigris) requires a good understanding of their population dynamics. Territoriality, an essential characteristic of many wildlife species, plays a crucial role in the population dynamics of tigers. However, previous models of tiger population dynamics have not adequately incorporated territoriality. We therefore developed and implemented a spatially explicit agent-based model of tiger population dynamics shaped by different territorial behaviors of males and females. To allow for predictions to new conditions, for which no data exist, territories are not imposed but emerge from the tigers’ perception of habitat quality and from their interactions with each other. Tiger population dynamics is deduced from merging territory dynamics with observed demographic rates. We apply the model to Nepal's Chitwan National Park, part of a global biodiversity hotspot and home to a large (∼125) population of tigers. Our model matched closely with observed patterns of the real tiger population in the park, including reproduction, mortality, dispersal, resource selection, male and female land tenure, territory size and spatial distribution, and tiger population size and age structure. The ultimate purpose of the model, which will be presented in follow-up work, is to explore human-tiger interactions and assess threats to tiger populations across contexts and scales. The model can thus be used to better inform decision makers on how to conserve tigers under uncertain and changing future conditions.

This article is featured in the journal Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities, volume 4.

Commonwealth literary studies functioned for some time as comparative work across discrete national literary cultures. Using the curious instance of an Indian novelist finding publication with an Australian publisher, this article shows how similar and different colonial dynamics of literary production both kept national contexts meaningful and undid them through transnational connections.

Tato písemná bakalářská práce popisuje průběh vytváření kombinovaného animovaného filmu ?země ArteMida?, který byl vytvořený v třetím ročníku, oboru: Klasická animovaná tvorba. Ve své práci popisuji všechny důležité části výroby. Od tvorby námětu až po finální export. Práce zároveň zaznamenává myšlenky autora a celkový pohled na tvorbu., This written thesis describes the process of creating a combined animated film "The land of Artemida", which was created in the third year of study: Classical animation. In my the-sis I describe all the important parts of production. Since the creation of theme to final ex-port. The work also records the author's ideas and the overall view of creation., Ústav animace a audiovize, obhájeno

Information on spatial and temporal variation in abundance is crucial for effective management of wildlife. Yet abundance estimates for the Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae are lacking from Riau, the province historically believed to hold the largest percentage of this subspecies. Recently, this area has had one of the highest global rates of deforestation. Using camera traps we investigated tiger abundance across peatland, flat lowland, and hilly lowland forest types in the province, and over time, in the newly established Tesso Nib National Park, central Sumatra. We estimated densities using spatially explicit capture-recapture, calculated with DENSITY, and traditional capture-recapture models, calculated with CAPTURE. With spatially explicit capture-recapture the lowest tiger density (0.34 +/- SE 0.24 per 100 km(2)) was estimated in the hilly lowland forest of Rimbang Baling and the highest (0.87 +/- SE 0.33 per 100 km(2)) in the flat lowland forest of the Park. Repeated surveys in the Park documented densities of 0.63 +/- SE 0.28 in 2005 to 0.87 +/- SE 0.33 per 100 km(2) in 2008. Compared to traditional capture-recapture the spatially explicit capture-recapture approach resulted in estimates 50% lower. Estimates of tiger density from this study were lower than most previous estimates in other parts of Sumatra. High levels of human activity in the area appear to limit tigers. The results of this study, which covered areas and habitat types not previously surveyed, are important for overall population estimates across the island, provide insight into the response of carnivores to habitat loss, and are relevant to the interventions needed to save the tiger.

This thesis proposes a method for setting inventory levels for a suite of spares for a ship subsystem. The method extends the one proposed by Judge and Leutjen which uses a computer simulation model called TIGER to modify the levels of shipboard spare parts determinated by a sparing model. By combining TIGER and the Availability Centered Inventory Model (ACIM), one of the coordinated shipboard allowance list (COSAL) models currently used in the U.S. Navy, our method is able to achieve the same level of operational availability for ship systems at less cost. Keywords: Inventory control; Theses; Simulation; Spares; Operational availability; Reliability. (jhd), http://archive.org/details/constructionoffo1094526947, Lieutenant Commander, Supply Corps, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Most rare and endangered large carnivores such as tiger (Panthera tigris) exist in human-dominated landscapes as small, fragmented and isolated populations across their range. Connectivity between the remaining populations in the habitat fragments is essential for their long-term persistence and focus of management initiatives. We describe an individual-based, spatially explicit model of tiger movement behavior based on previously developed habitat models to (i) quantify inter-patch connectivity among major (protected) habitat patches in the Terai Arc Landscape of India and Nepal and (ii) investigate the effect of potential management initiatives, e.g. restoring corridors, on enhancing connectivity among fragmented protected habitats. Connectivity was not solely a function of distance between patches, but an outcome of the interplay between movement behavior and landscape composition, with asymmetric connectivity explained by canalizing or diffusing effects of the landscape, and depending on the landscape context of the starting patch. Patch connectivity was mostly determined by autocorrelation in tiger movement, the daily movement capacity, landscape structure, and the amount of matrix habitat. Several habitat patches were likely to be island-like and already effectively isolated. However, simulating scenarios of corridor restoration showed that most habitat patches in India and between India and Nepal could recover connectivity, which may mitigate negative genetic consequences of small population size and effective isolation on tiger populations in this landscape. Combining habitat models with individual-based models is a powerful and robust approach that could be widely applied to delineate dispersal corridors of large carnivores and quantify patch connectivity even if data are scarce.

Information on spatial and temporal variation in abundance is crucial for effective management of wildlife. Yet abundance estimates for the Critically Endangered Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae are lacking from Riau, the province historically believed to hold the largest percentage of this subspecies. Recently, this area has had one of the highest global rates of deforestation. Using camera traps we investigated tiger abundance across peatland, flat lowland, and hilly lowland forest types in the province, and over time, in the newly established Tesso Nib National Park, central Sumatra. We estimated densities using spatially explicit capture-recapture, calculated with DENSITY, and traditional capture-recapture models, calculated with CAPTURE. With spatially explicit capture-recapture the lowest tiger density (0.34 +/- SE 0.24 per 100 km(2)) was estimated in the hilly lowland forest of Rimbang Baling and the highest (0.87 +/- SE 0.33 per 100 km(2)) in the flat lowland forest of the Park. Repeated surveys in the Park documented densities of 0.63 +/- SE 0.28 in 2005 to 0.87 +/- SE 0.33 per 100 km(2) in 2008. Compared to traditional capture-recapture the spatially explicit capture-recapture approach resulted in estimates 50% lower. Estimates of tiger density from this study were lower than most previous estimates in other parts of Sumatra. High levels of human activity in the area appear to limit tigers. The results of this study, which covered areas and habitat types not previously surveyed, are important for overall population estimates across the island, provide insight into the response of carnivores to habitat loss, and are relevant to the interventions needed to save the tiger.

The story of the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger property developers offers insights into the role of the super-rich in material and symbolic place-making. Irish developers were not only involved in the physical construction of place(s); they were very public actors in the construction of discourses of Ireland as a place of opportunity, entrepreneurialism and success. In contrast to the relative anonymity of high-rolling financial traders, property developers were celebrated media stars. Indeed, as the property boom gathered pace, stories of past property successes arguably became an essential prerequisite for mobilizing new rounds of property investment. Developers with the 'Midas touch' were feted by the general and business media (both local and international) and courted by politicians. In this chapter we provide an account of the rise and impact of super-rich property developers in the Celtic Tiger economy. Two case studies of the changing fortunes of developers are presented which, not coincidentally, mirror the fortunes of the lrish economy. In the case studies, we reflect critically on the role of the developers' conspicuous consumption and personal wealth in mobilizing the huge bank loans on which their urban imagineering was founded.

There is evidence from a range of sources that indicates that South and East Asian background students are academically outperforming their peers in Australian primary and secondary schools (see, for example, Khoo and Birrell, 2002; Marks et al., 2000; Mcinerney, 2008; Paar and Mok, 1995). This evidence ranges from tertiary enrolment figures and the enrolment statistics of academically selective programs, through to school achievement records and research studies. Several explanations for the superior academic outcomes have been posited by researchers. These have included their work ethic, motivation and aspirations, and the support and expectations of their parents. While these explanations have some appeal for educators, they have not been brought together into one theoretical construct. Therefore, this chapter will examine these differences between the South and East Asian background students and their peers in Australian schools through the analytical lenses of the actiotope model of giftedness (Ziegler, 2005) and its logical companion, a systemic approach to giftedness (Ziegler and Phillipson, 2012).

The story of the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger property developers offers insights into the role of the super-rich in material and symbolic place-making. Irish developers were not only involved in the physical construction of place(s); they were very public actors in the construction of discourses of Ireland as a place of opportunity, entrepreneurialism and success. In contrast to the relative anonymity of high-rolling financial traders, property developers were celebrated media stars. Indeed, as the property boom gathered pace, stories of past property successes arguably became an essential prerequisite for mobilizing new rounds of property investment. Developers with the 'Midas touch' were feted by the general and business media (both local and international) and courted by politicians. In this chapter we provide an account of the rise and impact of super-rich property developers in the Celtic Tiger economy. Two case studies of the changing fortunes of developers are presented which, not coincidentally, mirror the fortunes of the lrish economy. In the case studies, we reflect critically on the role of the developers' conspicuous consumption and personal wealth in mobilizing the huge bank loans on which their urban imagineering was founded.

There is evidence from a range of sources that indicates that South and East Asian background students are academically outperforming their peers in Australian primary and secondary schools (see, for example, Khoo and Birrell, 2002; Marks et al., 2000; Mcinerney, 2008; Paar and Mok, 1995). This evidence ranges from tertiary enrolment figures and the enrolment statistics of academically selective programs, through to school achievement records and research studies. Several explanations for the superior academic outcomes have been posited by researchers. These have included their work ethic, motivation and aspirations, and the support and expectations of their parents. While these explanations have some appeal for educators, they have not been brought together into one theoretical construct. Therefore, this chapter will examine these differences between the South and East Asian background students and their peers in Australian schools through the analytical lenses of the actiotope model of giftedness (Ziegler, 2005) and its logical companion, a systemic approach to giftedness (Ziegler and Phillipson, 2012).

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

The allocation of spare parts for deployed Naval aircraft is delineated by an aviation consolidated allowance list (AVCAL) . The current policy for stocking AVCAL ' s has been found inadequate to meet the Chief of Naval Operations 1 (CNO) goal for stockage level effectiveness. This led to the development of the Retail Inventory Model, Aviation (RIMAIR) as an alternative stockage policy. This thesis compares the two models on the basis of stockage level effectiveness (ratio of demands filled to total demands) and the availability afforded three hypothetical systems. The RIMAIR model allows the budget constraint to dictate stockage levels while the current policy is deterministic. However, RIMAIR stockage levels are bounded by both a minimum and maximum constraint which limit its flexibility. As a result, RIMAIR stockage levels and total cost are considerably higher than currently allowed. The effectiveness and availability measures are also much higher. A modified RIMAIR model provided increased effectiveness and availability on an equal cost basis with the current policy., http://archive.org/details/rimairvscurrenta1094519971, Lieutenant, United States Navy

Battlegroup sparing is an inventory strategy that can significantly reduce the initial outfitting costs of a weapon system by greatly reducing the range and depth of spares required to outfit individual ships. This strategy moves low demand items from shipboard spare part inventories to intermediate level inventories which support an entire battlegroup. This thesis extends the techniques of Readiness Based Sparing (RBS) and proposes a method for defining suites of spares at both the shipboard and battlegroup level which augment each other to achieve a desired level of system readiness while realizing the efficiencies of battlegroup sparing. To evaluate the impacts of this strategy, this thesis develops a computer simulation, which can be utilized to evaluate the budget and readiness impacts of applying this or any other inventory strategy to a weapon system. The methodology proposed by this thesis was then applied to the Cooperative Engagement System (CES), reducing initial outfitting costs by nearly 50%, an overall savings of over thirty million dollars in scarce outfitting funds, http://archive.org/details/anevaluationofbu109458329, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

A Story About A Guy: The Continuing Adventures Of A Man Who Adventures is a comedic story set in a fantasy setting. The premise is that the main character (who can both hear the narrator and refuses to let the audience know his name), is drinking in a bar when said bar is attacked by bandits. During the bandit raid, one of the patrons gets mortally injured, but does not die. This makes the main character wonder why he is relevant to the story. This causes the main character to interrogate The Man for his name, only to have The Man be more and more severely injured by the bandits. This enrages the main character, who then slaughters most of the bandits, only to have The Man kidnapped by one of the bandit survivors. The main character (who is known throughout the story as "The Adventurer") then proceeds to go on an elaborate and unnecessary journey to find out The Man's name and why he is important to the plot.

Local citizens recruited and trained as bagh heralu (“tiger watchers”) helped us to collect information on the distribution of tiger throughout the Terai of Nepal. While the ultimate goal of the bagh heralu program was to map the current metapopulation of tigers in Nepal and to determine extent of breeding outside protected areas, the bagh heralu approach was useful not only because it facilitated data collection but also because it enhanced conservation efforts in multiple ways.Over the five years of the program, bagh heralu became knowledgeable about basic tiger biology and they became recognized in their communities as local tiger experts. Their knowledge of the ecological needs of tigers and strong local interest in the project increased discussions of tiger conservation in local communities throughout the lowlands. This case study indicates that the citizen monitoring programs has the potential to shift some of the responsibility for and economic benefits from biodiversity conservation from government agencies and non-governmental organizations to local communities, thus enhancing efforts to manage resources sustainably across entire landscapes. This case study serves as an example of a citizen monitoring project in a developing country and raises questions relevant to its possible expansion and to broader questions of citizen science in a developing country context.

Money is often a limiting factor in conservation, and attempting to conserve endangered species can be costly. Consequently, a framework for optimizing fiscally constrained conservation decisions for a single species is needed. In this paper we find the optimal budget allocation among isolated subpopulations of a threatened species to minimize local extinction probability. We solve the problem using stochastic dynamic programming, derive a useful and simple alternative guideline for allocating funds, and test its performance using forward simulation. The model considers subpopulations that persist in habitat patches of differing quality, which in our model is reflected in different relationships between money invested and extinction risk. We discover that, in most cases, subpopulations that are less efficient to manage should receive more money than those that are more efficient to manage, due to higher investment needed to reduce extinction risk. Our simple investment guideline performs almost as well as the exact optimal strategy. We illustrate our approach with a case study of the management of the Sumatran tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae, in Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP), Indonesia. We find that different budgets should be allocated to the separate tiger subpopulations in KSNP. The subpopulation that is not at risk of extinction does not require any management investment. Based on the combination of risks of extinction and habitat quality, the optimal allocation for these particular tiger subpopulations is an unusual case: subpopulations that occur in higher-quality habitat (more efficient to manage) should receive more funds than the remaining subpopulation that is in lower-quality habitat. Because the yearly budget allocated to the KSNP for tiger conservation is small, to guarantee the persistence of all the subpopulations that are currently under threat we need to prioritize those that are easier to save. When allocating resources among subpopulations o

A divided infraorbital foramen is an important morphological feature in lion taxonomy and has previously been considered to occur only in the Asian lion, Panthera leo persica. Based on an examination of 498 lion skulls from museum collections in Europe and southern Africa, we report for the first time on the prevalence of the divided infraorbital foramen in African lions, as well as its occurrence in the tiger, P. tigris and the extinct Pleistocene European cave lion, P. leo spelaea. The higher frequency of this characteristic in Asian lions may have occurred after the lion colonised Asia, and can be considered an important morphological feature characterising this population. It is not clear whether recent anthropogenic population bottlenecks have influenced changes in its prevalence over the last 200 years.