Prey use by four syntopic carnivores in a strandveld ecosystem

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dc.contributor.authorAvenant N.L.
dc.contributor.authorNel J.A.J.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:58:00Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:58:00Z
dc.date.issued1997
dc.description.abstractThe diet of four syntopic carnivore species (caracal Felis caracal, water mongoose Atilax paludinosus, small grey mongoose Galerella pulverulenta, and yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata) over a 12-month period in a coastal shrub ecosystem was examined using scat analysis. Use of prey by all four species fluctuated synchronously and tracked corresponding fluctuations in prey availability. This, as well as the use of relatively small food items (e.g. beetles, scorpions and spiders), indicate an absence of dietary specialization and an opportunistic feeding behaviour in the carnivores studied. Food niche breadth in all four species changed seasonally, being widest during spring and contracting gradually towards winter. A considerable degree of food niche overlap existed between species. Rodents (mainly Rhabdomys pumilio and Otomys unisulcatus) were the main prey items of all four carnivore species and were used heavily throughout the year, despite marked declines in numbers towards winter.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationSouth African Journal of Wildlife Research
dc.identifier.citation27
dc.identifier.citation04-Mar
dc.identifier.issn3794369
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/10716
dc.subjectcaracal
dc.subjectcoexistence
dc.subjectniche overlap
dc.subjectsmall grey mongoose
dc.subjectstrandveld
dc.subjectwater mongoose
dc.subjectyellow mongoose
dc.subjectSouth Africa, Western Cape, Postberg Nature Reserve
dc.subjectAtilax paludinosus
dc.subjectCynictis penicillata
dc.subjectFelis caracal
dc.subjectGalerella pulverulenta
dc.subjectOtomys unisulcatus
dc.subjectRhabdomys pumillio
dc.titlePrey use by four syntopic carnivores in a strandveld ecosystem
dc.typeArticle
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