Big Cats in a Changing World: Ecology, Conservation, and Coexistence

Big Cats are among the most charismatic, and most endangered, mammal groups on Earth. As top predators and keystone species, they act as natural coordinators of the ecological connections within their ecosystems. Their obligate carnivory and large body size make coexistence with people difficult, and human activity has reduced their numbers for centuries, a decline that has greatly accelerated during the Anthropocene. Their unique position means that their decline rarely happens in ecological isolation. The irony is sharp: we are the single greatest cause of their decline, yet we prize them culturally, economically, and politically. That regard has fueled a level of public and scientific interest in Big Cat conservation that few other endangered mammals enjoy. Alongside it sits a genuine scientific question: how does Big Cat biology itself shift under intense, often harmful, human pressure?

This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how Big Cat biology (morphology, behavior, ecology, genetics) is changing under today’s anthropogenic pressures, and to translate that understanding into conservation gains. New tools in science and technology, from AI-assisted monitoring to genetic engineering, are opening fresh ways to study both the biology and the conservation of these species, and recent advances make this a timely moment to consolidate progress. We invite contributions spanning the full range of relevant work, from foundational Feline biology to applied socio-economic and political studies of conservation. Hypothesis-driven research is encouraged, and we equally welcome case studies and descriptive work where they meaningfully advance our understanding of Big Cat biology and conservation in a changing world. Our goal is a collection that connects rigorous science to real conservation outcomes.

By “Big Cats” we mean species comparable to, or larger than, the bobcat. We welcome original research, reviews, and case studies on themes including, but not limited to:

Population dynamics, habitat connectivity, and movement ecology
Behavioral change in the wild and in captivity
Morphological, physiological, and genetic change
Human–Big Cat conflict and management
Breeding, health, and welfare in captivity
Innovative conservation tools (AI, assisted breeding, genetic engineering)
Socio-economic and political dimensions of Big Cat conservation
Ecological connectivity with prey and the wider ecosystem
Reintroduction and translocation projects
Comparative studies of Big Cats with small cats or similar-sized carnivores (e.g. canids, mustelids), and ecosystem-based analyses of their role as keystone and umbrella species; an area with strong potential for rapid, collaborative publication drawing on existing datasets

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Specialty Grand Challenge
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Big Cats, Lions, Leopards, Tigers, Jaguars, Cheetahs, Wildlife, Conservation, Endangered, Biodiversity, Genetics, Reintroduction, Pumas, Felidae, Pantera

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.