2.2. Study Sample

Due to the nature of the study and the sources from which information was taken, only those videos on which a continuous hunting attempt had been displayed were considered. This criterion was followed to prevent data distortion and biases derived from the splicing process of editing unrelated footage together to garner a logical narrative.

Once selected, videos whose sharpness and total duration did not allow the complete analysis of the predation behaviour (sighting, stalking, chasing and attack) and the defence strategies of the prey from its beginning to its conclusion, were discarded (n = 64). As a result, the study sample of this research work comprised a total of 244 videos: 80 (32.80%) videos of predation behaviour in lions, 45 (18.50%) of leopards, 11 (4.50%) of jaguars, 40 (16.40%) of tigers, 13 (5.30%) of pumas, 43 (17.60%) of cheetahs, 7 (2.90%) of snow leopards, 2 (0.80%) of panthers and 1 (0.40%) for each of the three smaller big cat species (serval, ocelot and caracal). The videos were analysed between 18 February and 15 May 2020.