Abstract

DE CARVALHO, Rone F.; PASSOS, Daniel C.  and  LESSA, Leonardo G.. DIET VARIATIONS IN SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM Monodelphis domestica (DIDELPHIMORPHIA, DIDELPHIDAE) DUE TO SEASONAL AND INTERSEXUAL FACTORS. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.2, pp.340-348.  Epub Jan 07, 2019. ISSN 0327-9383.

We analyzed the diet composition of Monodelphis domestica (Wagner, 1842) distributed in a high-altitude rocky habitat (campo rupestre) in Southeastern Brazil, between October 2015 and December 2016. We also evaluated whether there are diet differences depending on body mass, sex and seasons. We collected 70 fecal samples of 29 M. domestica specimens and recorded five food categories (arthropods, vertebrates, seeds, flowers and plant vegetative parts). Monodelphis domestica presented a specialized diet, the specimens mainly fed on invertebrates (founded in 100% of the samples). The samples also presented plant vegetative parts (leaves and stems), flowers and small vertebrates (scales and fragmented bones of lizards, snakes and birds). The species showed seasonal diet variations and consumed large portions of arthropods, small portions of vertebrates and plant vegetative parts during the rainy season. Intersexual differences influenced the diet composition: the range of food items consumed by males was wider than that ate by females. Our findings helped better understanding the food ecology of short-tailed opossums, besides being the first study about the diet of a didelphid species distributed in high-altitude rocky habitats.

Keywords : Campos rupestres; food habit; insectivorous; marsupials.