Abstract
The diet and feeding habits of Eurasian otters Lutra lutra were studied by spraint analysis over a. 2-year period, on three sections of the Drava River and three backwaters, in south-west Hungary. The primary food was fish (mean: 89.8% and 87.5% for riverine and backwater habitats, respectively); otters living in riverine habitats compared to backwaters, consumed more birds (3.9% and 0.7%, respectively), less mammals (0.5% and 0.9%, respectively), less reptiles and amphibians (5.6% and 10.2%, respectively) and less invertebrates (0.1% and 0.6%, respectively). In riverine habitats otters preyed more frequently on larger fish than in backwaters, but the main fish prey was small-sized (below 100 g in weight, 85.6% and 91.7%, respectively). On river sections they preyed more frequently on reophil (flow preferring fish, 18.9% and 3.3%, respectively), and less on stagnophil fish (stagnant waters preferring, 9.8% and 24.5%, respectively) than in backwaters. The main fish prey was eurytopic (tolerant of rivers and stagnant waters, 71.3% and 72.2%, respectively). Preference (by Ivlev’s electivity index, Ei) in the Drava River for various fish guilds differed, as the otters preferred eurytopic (Ei= 0.30) and stagnophil fish (Ei= 0.24), and avoided reophil fish (Ei=−0.58). Otters did not threaten the rare, flow preferring fish species and the main diet consisted of economically unimportant species.
Zusammenfassung
Die Futterzusammensetzung und die Ernährungsgewohnheiten des eurasischen Otters Lutra lutra wurden zwei Jahre lang durch Exkrementanalyse an drei Abschnitten der Drau und an drei ihrer toten Nebenarme im Südwesten Ungarns untersucht und miteinander verglichen. Primäres Futter ist Fisch (durchschnittlich 89.8% Biomasse am Fluss im Vergleich zu 87.5% an den Nebenarmen). Die direkt am Fluss lebenden Ottern verzehrten mehr Vögel (3.9% gegenüber 0.7%), weniger kleine Säugetiere (0.5% gegenüber 0.9%), weniger Amphibien und Reptilien (5.6% gegenüber 10.2%) sowie Invertebrata (0.1% gegenüber 0.6%). Auch erbeuteten die direkt am Fluss lebenden Otter öfters grössere Fische als die an den Nebenarmen lebenden, aber die Hauptnahrung bildeten kleine Fische (weniger als 100 g, 85.6% gegenüber 91.7%). Sie erbeuteten auch öfters reophile (strömungsliebende) Fische als die an den Nebenarmen lebenden (18.9% gegenüber 3.3%), dafür aber seltener stagnophile (stehendes Wasser liebende) Fische (9.8% gegenüber 24.5%). Trotzdem bestand ihre Hauptbeute aus eurytopen Fischen (tolerant auf fliessendes und stehendes Gewässer) im Vergleich von 71.3% gegenüber 72.2. Die an der Drau lebenden Ottern bevorzugten unterschiedliche Fischgruppen (berechnet nach dem Index Ei laut Ivlev), wobei die eurytopen (Ei = 0.30) und stagnophilen (Ei = 0.24) Fische an erster Stelle stehen, und die reophilen (Ei = −0.58) nicht beachted wurden. Die Otter gefährdeten demzufolge nicht die selteneren, strömungsliebenden Fische, denn ihre Hauptnahrung bestand aus wirtschaftlich unwichtigen Fischarten.
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Lanszki, J., Sallai, Z. Comparison of the feeding habits of Eurasian otters on a fast flowing river and its backwater habitats. Mamm Biol 71, 336–346 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.04.002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.04.002