Abstract

FERNANDEZ, Cynthia S  and  BALDI, Ricardo. Feeding habits of the puma (Puma concolor) and the incidence of predation on guanaco (Lama guanicoe) mortality in northeastern Patagonia. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2014, vol.21, n.2, pp.331-338. ISSN 0327-9383.

In Patagonia, the functional relationships between pumas and their native prey species have been modified as a result of the introduction of exotics. We studied the feeding habits of Puma concolor in northeastern Chubut province during 3 years and found that (1) the native guanaco, Lama guanicoe, was the most important prey in the diet of pumas; (2) pumas expanded their trophic niche by incorporating smaller prey species to their diets after a substantial reduction in the abundance of the introduced sheep; and (3) puma predation was the main cause of guanaco mortality.

Keywords : Argentina; Feeding habits; Guanaco mortality; Predator-prey; Prey abundance.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )