Lions, bomas, and spatial statistics

Carmen is an adult female lion that was tracked hourly from September 2005 to April 2006. An analysis of permanent bomas (village sites) suggested they are likely clustered and not randomly distributed. Carmen’s movements seem to be clustered between these bomas and major roads in mid-level elevations. Carmen’s temperatures are highest in these mid-level elevations close to the mean center of her GPS data. These are mainly hot spot data points located in habitats including lava, patchy lava, and thin bush habitats. The cold spots seem to occur at higher elevations, further from the mean center, and in habitats like grasslands and woodlands. Perhaps the higher elevation is cooler and the landcover provides a bit more shade. However, there could be a variety of factors that contribute to the hot spots and cold spots, so it might be useful to collect or research more about how the lion uses each habitat type.