Social perceptions of wild ungulates depend on their abundance and the socioeconomic context. These perceptions shape attitudes toward management and explain social behavior toward the species. Our objective was to evaluate attitudes and behavioral intentions toward wild ungulate management in the Iberian Peninsula. We conducted a survey of 440 participants in mainland Spain. Respondents generally supported non-lethal methods,...

Species phenotypes are driven by persistent selective pressures that condition their adaptation to the environment. However, stochastic critical events, such as disease outbreaks, may also act as selective pressures because of drastic population decline. External structures like horns of ungulate species may reflect the consequences of these selective pressures on animal fitness. Using a generalized linear model approach, we a...

Aim Despite the increasing scientific evidence on the importance of carrion in the ecology and evolution of many vertebrates, scavenging is still barely considered in diet studies. Here, we draw attention to how scientific literature has underestimated the role of vertebrates as scavengers, identifying the ecological traits that characterize those species whose role as scavengers could have gone especially unnoticed. Location...

In recent decades, intensive techniques of livestock raising have flourished, which has largely replaced traditional farming practices such as transhumance. These changes may have affected scavengers’ behaviour and ecology, as extensive livestock is a key source of carrion. This study evaluates the spatial responses of avian scavengers to the seasonal movements of transhumant herds in south-eastern Spain. We surveyed the abund...