Food habits of wolves and selection of wild ungulates in a prey-rich Mediterranean coastal area

Publication date: Available online 1 November 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Francesco Ferretti, Sandro Lovari, Valentina Mancino, Lucia Burrini, Mariana RossaAbstractLarge carnivores are increasing throughout the western Holarctic, re-colonising large parts of their former ranges. Ecological (e.g., predator-prey relationships) and socio-economic (e.g., livestock depredation) consequences of this process need to be monitored, to identify suitable management/conservation actions. We studied food habits and selection of main prey by wolves, as well as habitat use/selection by wild ungulates, in a Mediterranean protected coastal area (Uccellina Hills in the Maremma Regional Park, c. 70 km2, central Italy, April 2016-March 2018), including sclerophyllic scrubwood, pinewood, wetlands and mixed rural-wood habitats. Potential prey include wild boar, fallow deer and roe deer (c. 25-30 in.ividuals/100 ha, in summer, all species together), livestock (mainly cattle and sheep, c. 20 heads/100 ha, overall) and several species of meso-mammals. Overall, wild ungulates dominated the diet (c. 90% of absolute occurrence, relative occurrence or volume), with the fallow deer being the main prey (absolute occurrence, AO: 55%; relative occurrence, RO: 42%; volume, V: 44%) followed by the wild boar (AO: 48%; RO: 36% V: 33%). Livestock was rarely used (2%, both AO and V); the coypu (AO: 8%; RO: 6%; V: 6%) was another important food item. Fallow deer and wild boar dominated summer di...
Source: Mammalian Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research