Quantifying the threat posed by feral cats to Australian reptiles

该项目旨在首次量化野猫对澳大利亚爬行动物的影响，这是该国最多样化的脊椎动物谱系。该项目希望通过采用创新的行为方法来确定猫如何捕食蜥蜴，以及蜥蜴如何应对猫捕食风险，从而提供关键的缺失部分。预期的结果是更好地了解本地蜥蜴的能力，以识别猫作为捕食者，并作出适当的反应，并确定猫对本地蜥蜴构成的威胁的程度。重要的是，我们的研究旨在尝试管理策略，以减轻猫捕食对本地爬行动物的影响。

This project aims to provide the first quantification of the impact of feral cats on Australian reptiles, the country’s most diverse vertebrate lineage. This project expects to provide crucial missing pieces of the puzzle by adopting an innovative behavioural approach to determine how cats hunt for lizards, and how lizards respond to cat predation risk. The expected outcomes are an improved understanding of the capacity of native lizards to recognise cats as predators and respond appropriately, and a determination of the magnitude of threat that cats pose to native lizards. Importantly, our study aims to trial management strategies to mitigate the impact of cat predation on native reptiles.