Hunting by humans affects the navigation of two endangered mammals in Zimbabwe and Brazil

Human activities have significantly altered natural habitats, changing the behavior of many animals. While some species take advantage of human presence, others increase their perception of predation risk. The landscape of fear (LOF) refers to prey perception of risk, which leads to behavioral adaptations throughout an animal's lifetime. Animals might choose habitats with lower potential energy intake and lower perceived risk over those with higher potential energy intake and higher perceived risk, thus trading off food quality for safety. Here, we investigate whether two endangered mammal species increase the frequency of habitual routes as a navigation strategy to avoid human-influenced areas and traumatic-risk events. Using GIS, primary movement data, and remote sensing, we demonstrated that two endangered species increase their use of habitual routes in landscapes dominated by human activities. This means potentially using their LOF to focus on signs of human activity, including hunting. These analytical approaches raise questions about whether animals opt for less demanding navigation strategies to balance their focus between navigation and monitoring for signals of risk.