IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Sousa, K.S.; Bager, A. | |
| Feeding habits of Geoffroy's cat (_Leopardus geoffroyi_) in southern Brazil | |
| 2007 Mammalian Biology: 1-6 | |
The present study was carried out from 2001 to 2005, with the objective of analyzing the diet of _Leopardus geoffroyi_ in extreme southern Brazil, through analyses of stomach contents and scats. The importance of each prey type found in the scats (n ¬ 66) was determined from the frequency of occurrence and percentage of occurrence. In the stomachs (n ¬ 9), the importance of each prey was determined using Pianka's index of relative importance (IRI). The food spectrum of _L. geoffroyi_ included mammals, birds, serpents, amphibians and insects. Mammals were the most abundant items, present in 95.5% of the scats and representing 74.4% of the total prey, reaching an IRI of 13296.3 in the stomachs. The principal prey types found in the stomachs and scats were small rodents (_Cavia spp., Oligoryzomys spp., Necromys spp._ and _Holochilus brasiliensis_) and large-sized rodents (_Myocastor coypus_), of terrestrial, arboreal or semi-aquatic habit. Probably, the high percentage of these prey items in the diet is related to their availability and abundance. The index of niche breadth was low in both the stomach and scat analyses (respectively, Bsta ¬ 0.18 and 0.17), demonstrating the high degree of specialization of these cats. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |