Linking behavior and predation data improves inference on interspecific risk perception in carnivores

Abstract Competition between carnivores and scavengers can alter predation rates and foraging behavior, shaping the effects of predation on complex community dynamics. The perceived risks of conflict and resource loss may influence a predator's response to competitive pressure, but these behaviors can be difficult to infer through traditional field methods. We collected two datasets on predation and foraging behavior to capture spatiotemporal patterns of predation by cougars ( Puma concolor ) and their response to scavenging by black bears ( Ursus americanus ). We used feeding‐site investigations ( n = 2325) to model handling and search time. Bears displaced cougars and reduced handling time at <10% of foraging locations, but they did not affect search time between subsequent foraging events. We also used motion‐triggered cameras ( n = 144) to assess how cougars allocate their time while at cached carcasses, such as how much time they spend feeding compared to other behaviors. Cougars exhibited limited predictive behaviors (e.g., increased vigilance or caching) in response to higher local bear density. Environmental covariates influenced cougar behavior at their kills more strongly than did the presence of bears. Our results suggest that the mere presence of bears has little effect on cougar predation behavior where these species co‐occur at moderate densities and there is abundant prey. This research highlights how outcomes of carnivore competition may differ across a range of environmental pressures; thus, understanding context‐specific inference about competition among large predators is critical for long‐term persistence and ecological function of complex multi‐predator systems.