{"id":106686,"date":"2026-02-06T11:52:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=106686"},"modified":"2026-02-10T22:27:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T22:27:31","slug":"artificial-light-is-reshaping-caracal-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/artificial-light-is-reshaping-caracal-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Artificial light is reshaping caracal behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 6, 2026 \u2013 Artificial light is one of the most ingrained features of modern life. For humans, light after dark offers convenience and a sense of safety. For wildlife, it\u2019s a growing environmental disturbance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humans introduce artificial light at night, they are fundamentally altering an aspect of the environment that many species depend on for processes like foraging, navigation, and risk-avoidance,\u201d says Christopher Hickling<\/a>, a Ph.D. student in natural resources science at the 溏心vlog免费B站. \u201cSpecies also depend on light to maintain their natural rhythms and cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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In addition to South African caracals, 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Christopher Hickling also studies bobcats, the caracals\u2019 wild cat equivalent in Rhode Island, for 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Rhode Island Bobcat Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A new study<\/a> led by Hickling shows how light impacts the behavior of caracals, a medium-sized wild cat living on South Africa\u2019s Cape Peninsula that is similar in size and ecological role to New England\u2019s bobcats. As they navigate increasingly urban landscapes, artificial light limits where and how caracals can move and hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why caracals?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo my knowledge, this is the first study of its kind investigating the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) on the behavior of a medium-sized carnivore,\u201d Hickling says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caracals are most active in low-light conditions such as dawn and dusk. \u201cThey are ambush predators,\u201d Hickling says, \u201cmeaning they rely on cover to stalk and kill their prey.\u201d Exposure to artificial light can disrupt that balance: Too much light reduces cover for stalking prey, while very low light may constrain prey detection, creating a narrow window of optimal hunting conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Artificial light is reshaping caracal behavior on South Africa\u2019s Cape Peninsula. (Photo \/ John Hishin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Caracals also occupy a notable ecological role in a geographically isolated region. The Cape Peninsula encompasses urbanized areas\u2014including the second-most populous city in South Africa\u2014and borders wildlands. \u201cDominant species, like leopards and lions, do not inhabit this area, and caracals assume the role of apex predator,\u201d Hickling says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoiding the glow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For caracals, light shapes when, where, and how they hunt. \u201cThey rely on optimal lighting conditions to successfully hunt and survive,\u201d Hickling says. \u201cIntroducing light at unnatural times alters the environment they depend on in a fundamental way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using GPS collars and behavioral data, the researchers examined how caracals move and hunt across landscapes with varying levels of artificial light. The study considered both direct light sources, such as streetlights, and indirect sources like skyglow\u2014diffuse illumination that spreads beyond city limits. \u201cMany studies on light pollution only examine direct artificial light, but diffuse skyglow may also impact wildlife,\u201d Hickling says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct artificial light emerged as the strongest predictor of caracal movement, with animals consistently selecting darker areas and avoiding streetlights and highly illuminated spaces, even near preferred urban edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers examined two survival-related behaviors: movement and foraging. While caracals continued to use urban-adjacent habitats, they avoided hunting in highly illuminated areas, revealing a trade-off between avoiding light and accessing urban prey such as rodents or birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger caracals were more tolerant of illuminated spaces than adults, highlighting age-related differences in risk-taking and adaptation. The effects of ALAN were consistent across sexes and remained strong even after accounting for vegetation cover, indicating that light itself is a primary constraint on movement and hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While individual homeowners can reduce outdoor lighting, Hickling notes that public lighting and policy may offer the greatest opportunity for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPublic lighting is under municipal control,\u201d Hickling says, \u201cso we can use research like this to influence governments to reassess the utility of artificial lighting in areas important to wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential solutions include lighting curfews in ecologically important areas and re-evaluating the spectral emissions of light sources to reduce ecological impacts. Even modest changes\u2014such as reassessing lighting near city edges\u2014could yield significant benefits. \u201cPublic lighting is important for human safety,\u201d Hickling says. \u201cWe need to balance reducing impacts on wildlife with social and economic needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the Urban Caracal Project at www.urbancaracal.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was written by Anna Gray in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 6, 2026 \u2013 Artificial light is one of the most ingrained features of modern life. For humans, light after dark offers convenience and a sense of safety. For wildlife, it\u2019s a growing environmental disturbance. \u201cWhen humans introduce artificial light at night, they are fundamentally altering an aspect of the environment that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":106687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,1914,1909,1916,1905],"class_list":["post-106686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-graduate","tag-international","tag-partner-produced","tag-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106686"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106692,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106686\/revisions\/106692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}