Research overview: diel activity patterns of wild felids from camera data

Wild cats span a spectrum of daily activity, from strongly nocturnal to crepuscular, diurnal, or flexibly cathemeral, and camera-trap timestamps are the primary tool for documenting these patterns at large scales. This overview surveys what camera studies reveal about felid diel behavior, how activity shifts with prey rhythms, competitors, moonlight, temperature, season, and human disturbance, and how species adjust timing to avoid people or dominant predators. It discusses methods for estimating activity from detection times, the influence of sample size and placement, and the ecological insights gained, such as temporal avoidance among coexisting cats. For photographers and citizen scientists, understanding when target felids are active improves deployment timing and interpretation, and contributes data on how cats partition the day across landscapes worldwide.