Night Cats Transcript, continued
daisy: How do cats purr?
Peter Gros: Cats create a vibration from a bone in their throat. They purr when they are excited and generally happy. They have an array of sounds, although purring is my favorite, especially when I'm handling them! Their sounds can mean greeting, or fear, or contentment, or alarm. So cats really have a fairly extensive vocabulary, as well as relaying important signals to each other through body language, like flattening their ears, raising their shoulder muscles, or flicking their tails.
bja: How do you get those amazing close-up photos without the cats or other animals noticing you?
Peter Gros: With today's technology, the cameras are very quiet. In complete darkness, the cats are unaware of their location. Cameras can be set up in locations where cats are known to congregate or live, or on their trails. Some cameras can be triggered by heat-sensitive devices from their bodies, some can be triggered by a sensitive pad that is stepped on by an animal, and other times, it's a completely camouflaged camera person who may spend hundreds of hours in the field as animals get used to them being in their territory.
linnj: When I was in Kenya, we would come across lions lying in the sun or sleeping, and we could hear them purring. Our guide told us that he didn't think lions purred. What do you say about it ... do lions purr?
Peter Gros: Lions don't purr. They do make a low moaning or grumbling sound, when they're sitting peacefully. But they actually don't have the typical ability to purr, like a house cat.
blondeheroine: In your opinion, which animal is the best night hunter in the Serengeti?
Peter Gros: They're all very specialized. I always think of leopards being probably the most stealthy hunters. They're solitary, patient and perfectly camouflaged, and they can take a variety of prey, from mice to animals three times their size. But as we saw tonight, the smaller cats like servals and caracals are amazing hunters as well. To see these cats leap 10-12 feet in the air and bring down birds always amazes me. Years ago in India, tame caracals were placed in a ring with a group of birds and bets were placed on the number of birds that would be brought down with a single strike. They were also trained for hunting purposes, rather like dogs that pursue hares, birds and other small game. So people have been amazed by the behavior of these cats for generations.
>> Continued on Page 4 <<
