Data from: Using GPS collars to investigate the frequency and behavioural outcomes of intraspecific interactions among carnivores: a case study of male cheetahs in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

Intraspecific interactions between individuals or groups of individuals of
the same species are an important component of population dynamics.
Interactions can be static, such as spatial overlap, or dynamic based on
the interactions of movements, and can be mediated through communication,
such as the deployment of scent marks. Interactions and their behavioural
outcomes can be difficult to determine, especially for species that live
at low densities. With the use of GPS collars we quantify both static and
dynamic interactions between male cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and the
behavioural outcomes. The 99% home-ranges of males overlapped
significantly while there was little overlap of the 50% home-ranges.
Despite this overlap, male cheetahs rarely came into close proximity of
one another, possibly because presence was communicated through frequent
visits to marking posts. The minimum distance between individuals in a
dyad ranged from 89m to 196m but the average proximity between individuals
ranged from 17,145 ± 6,865m to 26,367 ± 11,288m. Possible interactions
took place more frequently at night than by day and occurred mostly in the
50% home-range of one individual of a dyad or where cores of both
individuals overlapped. After a possible encounter male cheetahs stayed in
close proximity to each other for up to 6 hours, which could be the result
of a territory defence strategy or the presence of a receptive female. We
believe that one of the encounters between a singleton and a 5-male
coalition resulted in the death of the singleton. Our results give new
insights into cheetah interactions, which could help our understanding of
ecological processes such as disease transmission.