Predator size and prey size-gut capacity ratios determine kill frequency and carcass production in terrestrial carnivorous mammals

Carnivore kill frequency is a fundamental part of predator-prey interactions, which are important shapers of ecosystems. Current field kill frequency data are rare and existing models are insufficiently adapted to carnivore functional groups. We developed a kill frequency model accounting for carnivore mass, prey mass, pack size, partial consumption of prey and carnivore gut capacity. Two main carnivore functional groups, small prey-feeders vs large prey-feeders, were established based on the relationship between stomach capacity (C) and pack corrected prey mass (iMprey). Although the majority of small prey-feeders is below, and of large prey-feeders above a body mass of 10-20 kg, both occur across the whole body size spectrum, indicating that the dichotomy is rather linked to body size-related ecology than physiology. The model predicts a negative relationship between predator size and kill frequency for large prey-feeders. However, for small prey-feeders, this negative relationship wa...