Personal information

behavioural ecology, conservation biology, ecoimmunology, human-wildlife conflicts, African carnivores
Namibia, Germany

Activities

Employment (1)

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research: Berlin, DE

2001-09-01 to present | Senior scientist (Evolutionary Ecology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Education and qualifications (3)

University of Berne: Berne, CH

1996 to 2001 | Doctorate of natural science (Dr. rer. nat.), PhD
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Max-Plank Institute for Behavioural Physiology: Seewiesen, DE

1996 to 2001 | Doctorate of natural science (Dr. rer. nat.), PhD
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH): Zurich, CH

1988 to 1994 | MSc
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Works (50 of 72)

Items per page:
Page 1 of 2

White_TVDR2025

figshare
2025 | Dataset
Contributors: Ella Worthington White; Julie Louvrier; Liam D. Bailey; Eve Davidian; Marion L. East; Bettina Wachter; Heribert Hofer; Sarah Benhaiem; Oliver P. Höner; Viktoriia Radchuk
Source: check_circle
DataCite

White_TVDR2025

figshare
2025 | Dataset
Contributors: Ella Worthington White; Julie Louvrier; Liam D. Bailey; Eve Davidian; Marion L. East; Bettina Wachter; Heribert Hofer; Sarah Benhaiem; Oliver P. Höner; Viktoriia Radchuk
Source: check_circle
DataCite

The introduction of African cheetahs to India was planned without considering their spatial ecology

Conservation Science and Practice
2023-06 | Journal article
Contributors: Bettina Wachter; Ruben Portas; Joerg Melzheimer
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors

Trends in Ecology and Evolution
2022 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85125793042

Part of ISSN: 01695347
Contributors: Jetz, W.; Tertitski, G.; Kays, R.; Mueller, U.; Wikelski, M.; Åkesson, S.; Anisimov, Y.; Antonov, A.; Arnold, W.; Bairlein, F. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Genetic variance in fitness indicates rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in wild animals

Science
2022 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85127692525

Part of ISSN: 10959203 00368075
Contributors: Bonnet, T.; Morrissey, M.B.; de Villemereuil, P.; Alberts, S.C.; Arcese, P.; Bailey, L.D.; Boutin, S.; Brekke, P.; Brent, L.J.N.; Camenisch, G. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Africa’s drylands in a changing world: Challenges for wildlife conservation under climate and land-use changes in the Greater Etosha Landscape

Global Ecology and Conservation
2022-10 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 2351-9894
Contributors: Bettina Wachter
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Cheetah marking sites are also used by other species for communication: evidence from photographic data in a comparative setup

Mammalian Biology
2022-08 | Journal article
Contributors: Sarah Edwards; Rebekka Mueller; Ralf Roeder; Joerg Melzheimer; Bettina Wachter
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Leopard Panthera pardus camera trap surveys in the arid environments of northern Namibia

Mammalian Biology
2022-08 | Journal article
Contributors: Ruben Portas; Bettina Wachter; Piet Beytell; Kenneth H. Uiseb; Joerg Melzheimer; Sarah Edwards
Source: check_circle
Crossref

First Steps towards the Development of Epigenetic Biomarkers in Female Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Life
2022-06-20 | Journal article
Contributors: Alexandra Weyrich; Tania P. Guerrero-Altamirano; Selma Yasar; Gábor Á. Czirják; Bettina Wachter; Jörns Fickel
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 3)‎

African and Asian leopards are highly differentiated at the genomic level

Current Biology
2021 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85105022062

Part of ISSN: 18790445 09609822
Contributors: Paijmans, J.L.A.; Barlow, A.; Becker, M.S.; Cahill, J.A.; Fickel, J.; Förster, D.W.G.; Gries, K.; Hartmann, S.; Havmøller, R.W.; Henneberger, K. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Genetic diversity of vector-borne pathogens in spotted and brown hyenas from Namibia and Tanzania relates to ecological conditions rather than host taxonomy

Parasites and Vectors
2021 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85108117836

Part of ISSN: 17563305
Contributors: Krücken, J.; Czirják, G.Á.; Ramünke, S.; Serocki, M.; Heinrich, S.K.; Melzheimer, J.; Costa, M.C.; Hofer, H.; Aschenborn, O.H.K.; Barker, N.A. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

GPS Telemetry Reveals a Zebra With Anthrax as Putative Cause of Death for Three Cheetahs in the Namib Desert

Frontiers in Veterinary Science
2021 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85114339561

Part of ISSN: 22971769
Contributors: Portas, R.; Aschenborn, O.H.K.; Melzheimer, J.; Le Roux, M.; Uiseb, K.H.; Czirják, G.Á.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

The interplay between social rank, physiological constraints and investment in courtship in male spotted hyenas

Functional Ecology
2021 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85099199098

Part of ISSN: 13652435 02698463
Contributors: Davidian, E.; Wachter, B.; Heckmann, I.; Dehnhard, M.; Hofer, H.; Höner, O.P.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Visual analytics of sensor movement data for cheetah behaviour analysis

Journal of Visualization
2021 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85101227758

Part of ISSN: 18758975 13438875
Contributors: Klein, K.; Jaeger, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Wachter, B.; Hofer, H.; Baltabayev, A.; Schreiber, F.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Molecular analysis suggests that Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are definitive hosts of a so far undescribed Besnoitia species

Parasites & Vectors
2021-12 | Journal article
Contributors: Gereon Schares; Maike Joeres; Franziska Rachel; Mareen Tuschy; Gábor Á. Czirják; Pavlo Maksimov; Franz J. Conraths; Bettina Wachter
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Using Machine Learning for Remote Behaviour Classification—Verifying Acceleration Data to Infer Feeding Events in Free-Ranging Cheetahs

Sensors
2021-08-11 | Journal article
Contributors: Lisa Giese; Jörg Melzheimer; Dirk Bockmühl; Bernd Wasiolka; Wanja Rast; Anne Berger; Bettina Wachter
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 3)‎

Communication hubs of an asocial cat are the source of a human–carnivore conflict and key to its solution

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2020 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85099172028

Part of ISSN: 10916490 00278424
Contributors: Melzheimer, J.; Heinrich, S.K.; Wasiolka, B.; Mueller, R.; Thalwitzer, S.; Palmegiani, I.; Weigold, A.; Portas, R.; Roeder, R.; Krofel, M. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Species-specific differences in Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Besnoitia besnoiti seroprevalence in Namibian wildlife

Parasites & Vectors
2020-12 | Journal article
Contributors: Anne Seltmann; Gereon Schares; Ortwin H. K. Aschenborn; Sonja K. Heinrich; Susanne Thalwitzer; Bettina Wachter; Gábor Á. Czirják
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Age-specific gastrointestinal parasite shedding in free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on Namibian farmland

Parasitology Research
2019 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85060941183

Part of ISSN: 14321955 09320113
Contributors: Seltmann, A.; Webster, F.; Martins Ferreira, S.C.; Czirják, G.Á.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Immunological MHC supertypes and allelic expression: how low is the functional MHC diversity in free-ranging Namibian cheetahs?

Conservation Genetics
2019 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85060222194

Part of ISSN: 15729737 15660621
Contributors: Schwensow, N.; Castro-Prieto, A.; Wachter, B.; Sommer, S.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Social support drives female dominance in the spotted hyaena

Nature Ecology and Evolution
2019 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85057033927

Part of ISSN: 2397334X
Contributors: Vullioud, C.; Davidian, E.; Wachter, B.; Rousset, F.; Courtiol, A.; Höner, O.P.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Visual analytics for cheetah behaviour analysis

ACM International Conference Proceeding Series
2019 | Conference paper
EID:

2-s2.0-85076817874

Contributors: Klein, K.; Jaeger, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Wachter, B.; Hofer, H.; Baltabayev, A.; Schreiber, F.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Asymmetric reproductive aging in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) females in European zoos

Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research
2019-04-29 | Journal article
Contributors: Bettina Wachter
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter

Sex and species differences of stress markers in sympatric cheetahs and leopards in Namibia

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology
2019-01 | Journal article
Contributors: David Costantini; Gábor Á. Czirják; Joerg Melzheimer; Vera Menges; Bettina Wachter
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Behavior and Communication of Free-Ranging Cheetahs

Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
2018 | Book chapter
EID:

2-s2.0-85054397435

Contributors: Wachter, B.; Broekhuis, F.; Melzheimer, J.; Horgan, J.; Chelysheva, E.V.; Marker, L.; Mills, G.; Caro, T.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Citizen science and wildlife biology: Synergies and challenges

Ethology
2018 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85046705002

Part of ISSN: 14390310 01791613
Contributors: Frigerio, D.; Pipek, P.; Kimmig, S.; Winter, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Diblíková, L.; Wachter, B.; Richter, A.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Coping with intrasexual behavioral differences: Capture–recapture abundance estimation of male cheetah

Ecology and Evolution
2018 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85055095555

Part of ISSN: 20457758
Contributors: Edwards, S.; Fischer, M.; Wachter, B.; Melzheimer, J.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Ecology of Free-Ranging Cheetahs

Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
2018 | Book chapter
EID:

2-s2.0-85050770075

Contributors: Marker, L.; Cristescu, B.; Dickman, A.; Nghikembua, M.T.; Boast, L.K.; Morrison, T.; Melzheimer, J.; Fabiano, E.; Mills, G.; Wachter, B. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Making the most of by-catch data: Assessing the feasibility of utilising non-target camera trap data for occupancy modelling of a large felid

African Journal of Ecology
2018 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85042492868

Part of ISSN: 13652028 01416707
Contributors: Edwards, S.; Cooper, S.; Uiseb, K.; Hayward, M.; Wachter, B.; Melzheimer, J.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Mining Black Gold-Insights From Cheetah Scat Using Noninvasive Techniques in the Field and Laboratory: Scat-Detection Dogs, Genetic Assignment, Diet and Hormone Analyses

Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
2018 | Book chapter
EID:

2-s2.0-85054408441

Contributors: Schmidt-Küntzel, A.; Wultsch, C.; Boast, L.K.; Braun, B.; Van der Weyde, L.; Wachter, B.; Brummer, R.; Walker, E.H.; Forsythe, K.; Marker, L.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Queuing, takeovers, and becoming a fat cat: Long-term data reveal two distinct male spatial tactics at different life-history stages in Namibian cheetahs

Ecosphere
2018 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85050763902

Part of ISSN: 21508925
Contributors: Melzheimer, J.; Streif, S.; Wasiolka, B.; Fischer, M.; Thalwitzer, S.; Heinrich, S.K.; Weigold, A.; Hofer, H.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Reproductive Physiology of the Cheetah and Assisted Reproductive Techniques

Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation: Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
2018 | Book chapter
EID:

2-s2.0-85054415488

Contributors: Crosier, A.E.; Wachter, B.; Schulman, M.; Lüders, I.; Koester, D.C.; Wielebnowski, N.; Comizzoli, P.; Marker, L.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Sex‐specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis

Journal of Zoology
2018-09 | Journal article
Contributors: C. C. Voigt; M. Krofel; V. Menges; B. Wachter; J. Melzheimer
Source: check_circle
Crossref
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Cheetahs have a stronger constitutive innate immunity than leopards

Scientific Reports
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85016141674

Part of ISSN: 20452322
Contributors: Heinrich, S.K.; Hofer, H.; Courtiol, A.; Melzheimer, J.; Dehnhard, M.; Czirják, G.Á.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Comment on Rust et al.: Human–Carnivore Conflict in Namibia Is Not Simply About Black and White

Society and Natural Resources
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85013080319

Part of ISSN: 15210723 08941920
Contributors: Potgieter, G.C.; Weise, F.J.; Wachter, B.; Melzheimer, J.; Wiesel, I.; Stratford, K.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Effects of host traits and land-use changes on the gut microbiota of the Namibian black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas)

FEMS Microbiology Ecology
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85042463121

Part of ISSN: 15746941 01686496
Contributors: Menke, S.; Meier, M.; Mfune, J.K.E.; Melzheimer, J.; Wachter, B.; Sommer, S.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Gut microbiomes of free-ranging and captive Namibian cheetahs: Diversity, putative functions and occurrence of potential pathogens

Molecular Ecology
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85029037430

Part of ISSN: 1365294X 09621083
Contributors: Wasimuddin; Menke, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Thalwitzer, S.; Heinrich, S.; Wachter, B.; Sommer, S.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Socioecological and environmental predictors of physiological stress markers in a threatened feline species

Conservation Physiology
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85049921265

Part of ISSN: 20511434
Contributors: Costantini, D.; Wachter, B.; Melzheimer, J.; Czirják, G.Á.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

The distribution and numbers of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in southern Africa

PeerJ
2017 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85037676759

Part of ISSN: 21678359
Contributors: Weise, F.J.; Vijay, V.; Jacobson, A.P.; Schoonover, R.F.; Groom, R.J.; Horgan, J.; Keeping, D.; Klein, R.; Marnewick, K.; Maude, G. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Benign Pigmented Dermal Basal Cell Tumor in a Namibian Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine
2016 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85048357673

Part of ISSN: 2090701X 20907001
Contributors: Heinrich, S.K.; Wachter, B.; Wibbelt, G.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Comparative serum fatty acid profiles of captive and free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in Namibia

PLoS ONE
2016 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85006932954

Part of ISSN: 19326203
Contributors: Tordiffe, A.S.W.; Wachter, B.; Heinrich, S.K.; Reyers, F.; Mienie, L.J.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Feliform carnivores have a distinguished constitutive innate immune response

Biology Open
2016 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84978633464

Part of ISSN: 20466390
Contributors: Heinrich, S.K.; Wachter, B.; Aschenborn, O.H.K.; Thalwitzer, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Hofer, H.; Czirják, G.Á.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Validation of an enzyme-immunoassay for the non-invasive monitoring of faecal testosterone metabolites in male cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

General and Comparative Endocrinology
2016 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84956598810

Part of ISSN: 10956840 00166480
Contributors: Pribbenow, S.; Wachter, B.; Ludwig, C.; Weigold, A.; Dehnhard, M.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Why do some males choose to breed at home when most other males disperse?

Science Advances
2016 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-85016848026

Part of ISSN: 23752548
Contributors: Davidian, E.; Courtiol, A.; Wachter, B.; Hofer, H.; Höner, O.P.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Gammaretrovirus-specific antibodies in free-ranging and captive Namibian cheetahs

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology
2015 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84930584914

Part of ISSN: 1556679X 15566811
Contributors: Krengel, A.; Cattori, V.; Meli, M.L.; Wachter, B.; Böni, J.; Bisset, L.R.; Thalwitzer, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Jago, M.; Hofmann-Lehmann, R. et al.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Oligotyping reveals differences between gut microbiomes of free-ranging sympatric Namibian carnivores (Acinonyx jubatus, Canis mesomelas) on a bacterial species-like level

Frontiers in Microbiology
2014 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84987817841

Part of ISSN: 1664302X
Contributors: Menke, S.; Wasimuddin; Meier, M.; Melzheimer, J.; Mfune, J.K.E.; Heinrich, S.; Thalwitzer, S.; Wachter, B.; Sommer, S.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

The conflict between cheetahs and humans on Namibian farmland elucidated by stable isotope diet analysis

PLoS ONE
2014 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84929939814

Part of ISSN: 19326203
Contributors: Voigt, C.C.; Thalwitzer, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Blanc, A.-S.; Jago, M.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

A breath test to assign carnivore diets to browsers or grazers

Wildlife Biology
2013 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84886634333

Part of ISSN: 09096396
Contributors: Voigt, C.C.; Melzheimer, J.; Thalwitzer, S.; Wachter, B.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

Characterisation and validation of an enzyme-immunoassay for the non-invasive assessment of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

General and Comparative Endocrinology
2013 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84869862692

Part of ISSN: 10956840 00166480
Contributors: Ludwig, C.; Wachter, B.; Silinski-Mehr, S.; Ganswindt, A.; Bertschinger, H.; Hofer, H.; Dehnhard, M.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier

First evidence of hemoplasma infection in free-ranging Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Veterinary Microbiology
2013 | Journal article
EID:

2-s2.0-84872496949

Part of ISSN: 03781135 18732542
Contributors: Krengel, A.; Meli, M.L.; Cattori, V.; Wachter, B.; Willi, B.; Thalwitzer, S.; Melzheimer, J.; Hofer, H.; Lutz, H.; Hofmann-Lehmann, R.
Source: Self-asserted source
Bettina Wachter via Scopus - Elsevier
Items per page:
Page 1 of 2

Peer review (2 reviews for 2 publications/grants)

Review activity for Acta theriologica. (1)
Review activity for Mammalian biology. (1)