IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Perilli, M.L.L.; Lima, F.; Rodrigues, F.H.G.; Cavalcanti, S.M.C. | |
| Can scat analysis describe the feeding habits of big cats? A case study with jaguars (_Panthera onca_) in southern Pantanal, Brazil | |
| 2016 PLoS ONE (11): 1-12 | |
Large cats feeding habits have been studied through two main methods: scat analysis and the carcasses of prey killed by monitored animals. From November 2001 to April 2004, we studied jaguar predation patterns using GPS telemetry location clusters on a cattle ranch in southern Pantanal. During this period, we recorded 431 carcasses of animals preyed upon by monitored jaguars. Concurrently, we collected 125 jaguar scats opportunistically. We compared the frequencies of prey found through each method. We also compared the prey communities using Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient. These comparisons allowed us to evaluate the use of scat analysis as a means to describe jaguar feeding habits. Both approaches identified prey communities with high similarity (Bray-Curtis coefficient > 70). According to either method, jaguars consume three main prey: cattle (_Bos taurus_), caiman (_Caiman yacare_) and peccaries (_Tayassu pecari_ and _Pecari tajacu_). The two methods did not differ in the frequency of the three main prey over dry and wet seasons or years sampled. Our results show that scat analysis is effective and capable of describing jaguar feeding habits. |
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