Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Diet, habitat use, and relative abundance of pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) in northern Patagonia, Argentina

Nahrung, Habitatnutzung und relative Abundanz von Pampasfüchsen (Pseudalopex gymno-cercus) im nördlichen Patagonien, Argentinien

  • Original investigation
  • Published:
Mammalian Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Diet, habitat use and relative abundance of pampas fox Pseudalopex gymnocercus were studied in grassland, sand dune, and scrubland habitats, on the Bahía San Blas and Isla Gama Reserve, Argentina. Scat contents showed a generalist diet, where mammals, insects, and fruits were the main food items. Dietary composition differed among habitats; fruits were mainly consumed in sand dunes; insects, mammals, and fruits predominated in grassland; while insects and mammals were frequent in scrubland habitat. The European hare was the most common vertebrate prey and had the major contribution to the biomass of consumed prey. Pampas fox was the most common carnivore of the reserve and used all available habitats, frequenting more regularly scrubland and sand dune than grassland habitat.

Zusammenfassung

Die Nahrung, Habitatnutzung und relative Abundanz von Pampasfüchsen Pseudalopex gymnocercus wurde auf Grasflächen, Sanddünen und in Strauchhabitaten des Bahía San Blas and Isla Gama Reserve, Argentinien untersucht. Die Analyse von Kotproben ergab eine typische Diät für Generalisten, wobei Säugetiere, Insekten und Früchte die wichtigsten Nahrungsbestandteile waren. Die Nahrungszusammensetzung unterschied sich zwischen verschiedenen Lebensräumen. Früchte wurden hauptsächlich in Sanddünen konsumiert, Insekten, Säugetiere und Früchte auf Grasflächen; und Insekten und Säugetiere in Strauchhabitaten. Der europäische Hase war die häufigste Beuteart unter den Wirbeltieren und stellte den Hauptanteil an der Biomasse genutzter Beute. Der Pampasfuchs ist das häufigste Raubtier im Reservat und nutzt alle vorhandenen Habitate, jedoch kommt er etwas häufiger in Strauchhabitaten und Sanddünen vor als auf Grasflächen.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alderton, D. (1998): Foxes Wolves and Wild Dogs of the World. Blandford: London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellocq, M. I. (1988): Dieta de Athene cunicularia (Aves, Strigidae) y sus variaciones estacionales en ecosistemas agrarios de La Pampa, Argentina. Physis 46, 17–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bó, M. S.; Cicchino, S. M.; Martí nez, M. M. (1996): Diet of long-winged Harrier (Circus buffoni) in Southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. J. Raptor Res. 30, 239–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brillhart, D. E.; Kaufman, D. W. (1995): Spatial and seasonal variation in prey use by coyotes in north-central Kansas. Southwest. Nat. 40, 160–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, D. M. (1992): Notes on group size, density, and habitat association on the pampas fox (Dusicyon gimnocercus) in the Paraguayan Chaco. Mammalia56, 314–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busch, M. (1986): Identificación de algunas especies de pequenos mamíferos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires mediante características de sus pelos. Physis 44, 113–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chehébar, C.; Martín, S. (1989): Guía para el reconocimiento microscopico de los pelos de los mamíferos de la Patagonia. Acta Vertebr. 16, 247–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choquenot, D.; Lukins, B.; Curran, G. (1997): Assessing lamb predation by feral pigs in Australia’s semiarid rangelands. J. Appl. Ecol. 37, 935–943.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clevenger, A. P.; Purroy, F. J.; Pelton, M. R. (1992): Brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) habitat use in the Cantabrian mountains, Spain. Mammalia 56, 203–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crespo, J. (1971): Ecología del zorro gris (Dusicyon gymnocercus antiquus), en la Provincia de La Pampa. Rev. Mus. Argent. Cienc. Nat. Bernardino Rivadavia (Ecol) 1, 147–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doncaster, C. P.; Dickman, C. R.; MacDonald, D. W. (1990): Feeding ecology of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the city of Oxford, England. J. Mammalogy 71, 188–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Efron, B. (1982): The Jackknife, the Bootstrap and other Resampling Plans. PA, Pennsylvania: Soc. Ind. App. Math.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Facure, K. G.; Giaretta, A. A.; Monteiro-Filho, E. L. A. (2003): Food habits of the crabeating fox Cerdocyon thous in an altitudinal forest of the Mantiqueira Range, southeastern Brazil. Mammalia 67, 503–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farías, A. A.; Kittlein, M. J. (2005): Cross-scale spatial variability in the diet of pampas foxes (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) associated to human-induced changes in prey base. Austral. Ecol. (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hemmington, M. (1997): Foxwatching: In the Shadow of the Fox. Whittet Books Ltd: London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J. D. (1977): The use of urine marking in the scavenging behaviour of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Behaviour 61, 82–105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herrero, J.; Fernández de Luco, D. (2003): Wild boars (Sus scrofa) L in Uruguay: scavengers or predators? Mammalia 67, 485–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jácomo, A. T. A.; Silveira, L.; Diniz-Filho, J. A. F. (2004): Niche separation between the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and the crabeating fox (Dusicyon thous) and the hoary fox (Dusicyon vetulus) in central Brazil. J Zool (London) 262, 99–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. E.; Branch, L. C.; Villarreal, D. (1996): Lagostomus maximus. Mamm. Species 543, 1–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jimenez, J. E.; Yanez, J. L.; Tabilo, E. L.; Jaksic, F. M. (1996): Niche complementarity of South American foxes: reanalysis and test of a hypothesis. Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat. 69, 113–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, W. E.; Franklin, W. L. (1994): Role of body size in the diets of sympatric gray and culpeo foxes. J. Mammalogy 75, 163–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juarez, K. M.; Marinho-Filho, J. (2002): Diet, habitat use, and home ranges of sympatric canids in central Brazil. J. Mammalogy 83, 925–933.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marquez, A.; Farina, R. A. (2003): Dental morphology and diet in canids and procyonids from Uruguay. Mammalia 67, 567–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez, D. R.; Figueroa, R. A.; Ocampo, C. L.; Jaksic, F. M. (1998): Food habits and hunting ranges of short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) in agricultural landscapes of southern Chile. J. Raptor Res. 32, 111–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medel, R.; Jaksic, F. M. (1988): Ecología de los cánidos sudamericanos: una revisión. Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat. 61, 67–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novaro, A. J.; Funes, M. C.; Walker, R. S. (2000): Ecological extinction of native prey of a carnivore assemblage in Argentine Patagonia. Biol. Conserv. 92, 25–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak, R. M. (1997): Walker’s Mammals of the World. John Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Redford, K. H.; Eisenberg, J. F. (1992): Mammals of the Neotropics. Vol. 2. The Southern Cone. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice, W. R. (1989): Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43, 223–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soriano, A. (1983): Deserts and semideserts of Patagonia. In: Ecosystems of the World: temperate deserts and semideserts, Vol. 5, Ed. by N. E. West. Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Pub. Comp., Pp. 423–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar, J. H. (1984): Biostatistical Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Verónica B. García.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

García, V.B., Kittlein, M.J. Diet, habitat use, and relative abundance of pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Mamm Biol 70, 218–226 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2004.11.019

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2004.11.019

Key words

Navigation