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Feeding habits of three sympatric mammals in NE Spain: the American mink, the spotted genet, and the Eurasian otter

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Abstract

Diet composition, niche measures, and prey consumption of three sympatric species of carnivores, one non-native and introduced, the American minkNeovison vison Schreber, 1777, and two native, the spotted genetGenetta genetta Linnaeus, 1758 and the Eurasian otterLutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758, were studied in a Spanish Mediterranean area. The study was based on the analysis of prey remains in the faeces of the predators. Faeces of mink (n = 444), genet (n = 310), and otter (n = 108) were collected all year round for four years along the Llobregat (21 km) and Gavarresa rivers (12 km). Simultaneously, and in the same area, prey species density and weight were estimated by means of trapping. The diet of mink and genet was dominated by the American crayfishProcambarus clarkii, while the otter fed almost exclusively on fish. Compared to the mink, the genet seemed to specialise more on small mammals while the mink specialised more on aquatic birds, especially in autumn-winter. Niche overlap was higher between mink and genet than between either of them and the otter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology (Vertebrates), University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Yolanda Melero & Joaquim Gosàlbez

  2. Department of Environment and Housing, Generalitat de Catalunya, Doctor Roux 80, 08017, Barcelona, Spain

    Santiago Palazón

  3. Department of Biology, University of Trieste, Via Weiss 2, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    Laura Bonesi

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  1. Yolanda Melero
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  2. Santiago Palazón
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  3. Laura Bonesi
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  4. Joaquim Gosàlbez
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Correspondence to Yolanda Melero.

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Associate editor was Andrzej Zalewski.

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Melero, Y., Palazón, S., Bonesi, L. et al. Feeding habits of three sympatric mammals in NE Spain: the American mink, the spotted genet, and the Eurasian otter. Acta Theriol 53, 263–273 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193123

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193123

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