Research overview: behavioural flexibility as the engine of felid urban tolerance

Across the felid family, the capacity to flexibly adjust activity timing, space use, diet and risk responses largely determines which species can live near people. This overview synthesises evidence that urban-tolerant cats from leopards to bobcats share behavioural plasticity rather than specific morphological adaptations, becoming more nocturnal, compressing home ranges, exploiting anthropogenic prey and finely avoiding human encounters. It contrasts flexible generalists with specialists constrained by narrow habitat or prey needs, and examines individual variation in boldness as raw material for urban colonisation. The synthesis frames behavioural flexibility as the central explanatory thread linking the diverse urban felids documented worldwide.