Research overview: seasonal variation in felid prey selection

An overview of how the prey cats select shifts through the year with prey vulnerability, migration, birth pulses and weather. Many felids exploit seasonal ungulate calving and fawning peaks, when abundant naive neonates are easy to capture, and switch to alternative prey when preferred species disperse or migrate. This survey examines seasonal changes in kill rates, prey species and age classes across lions, pumas, lynx and other cats, and how snow depth, vegetation cover and prey body condition modulate selection. Seasonal patterns matter for estimating annual predation impact and for timing of conflict with livestock. The overview also covers how reproductive demands of breeding females alter prey choice and provisioning of offspring across seasons.