Pumas in Argentina’s Patagonia region have started eating penguins, and researchers say the behavior is triggering unexpected social changes among the typically solitary big cats.
The animals, which returned to Monte Leon National Park after being pushed out by sheep ranching in the 20th century, began feeding on a large colony of Magellanic penguins.
The penguin colony, made up of about 40,000 breeding pairs, had taken hold on the mainland during the decades when pumas were absent. Researchers monitoring the area found that this new source of food has altered how the pumas interact with one another.
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that pumas feeding on penguins are more tolerant of each other’s presence.
Despite being territorial by nature, these pumas were observed near each other more frequently than expected. The research team recorded 254 interactions among penguin-eating pumas, compared to just four encounters among pumas that hunted other prey.
Changing predator behavior in Patagonia
Researchers used camera traps and GPS collars to study 14 pumas between 2019 and 2023. Nine of the animals were confirmed to hunt penguins, while five did not. The study focused on a two-kilometer stretch of beach where the penguins breed.
During the penguin breeding season, the pumas remained close to the colony. When the birds migrated offshore in summer, the same pumas expanded their ranges to nearly double.
Because several pumas were relying on the same food source, competition appeared to decrease. This helped explain the unusually high density of pumas found in the park, which researchers noted was more than twice the highest previously recorded in Argentina.
Under normal conditions, adult pumas keep large territories to avoid conflict and ensure enough prey.
Pumas eating penguins affects the conservation outlook
Mitchell Serota, an ecologist at Duke Farms in New Jersey and lead author of the study, said bringing wildlife back into human-altered landscapes does not simply restore past ecosystems. Instead, it can create entirely new interactions, shifting animal behavior in ways that were not anticipated.
Juan Ignacio Zanon Martinez, a population ecologist with Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council who was not involved in the study, said that understanding how returning predators behave is vital for effective conservation planning. It allows decision-makers to focus on how ecosystems currently function rather than how they existed in the past.
Researchers also warned that while larger penguin colonies might survive this new pressure, smaller or newly forming colonies could face greater risks. Serota said future research will look into how the pumas’ diet shift may be affecting other prey species in the region, including guanacos, which are closely related to llamas.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
