ツシマヤマネコの糞内容物から見た食性
スポンサーリンク
概要
- 論文の詳細を見る
The food habit of Tsushima leopard cat (<I>Felis bengalensis</I> ssp.) was investigated by examinating 230 of their scats, which were collected in the islands from August 1967 to December 1969.<BR>Identified items in their scats were; mammals (2 fam.), birds (7 fam.), fish (1 sp., 2 fam.), frogs (1 sp., 1 fam.), snakes (serpent) (2 spp., 1 fam.), insects (45 spp., 42 fam.), plants (40 spp., 36 fam.), also araneida, chlidonia and acarida.<BR>In the author's view, most of the animal matter were positively taken by the cat, while some coprophagous insect such as <I>Aphodius</I> also were found. It was considered that the cat did not take the plant. Most plant matter found in the scats were probably attached after defecation on the ground or came secondarily from the stomach contents of the herbivorous preys of the cat. However, the leaves and the stems of Glumiflorae were found in very high frequency, so they had another meaning.<BR>Seasonal variation of their food habit seems to reflect the seasonal change of the habitat. Rats and mice were found throughout the year in the habitat as well as in their scats. Most of bird remains were recorded in cold seasons when winter birds arrive and on the other hand, occurence of insects in the scats decreased in this season.<BR>Through caloric estimation, it was concluded that the main food of the cat is rats and mice. The numbers of their incisors found in a scat indicate a cat may sacrifice about 2000 mice in a year.