Ecological niche of the Pampas fox in a Mountain grassland of Argentina

LUCHERINI M.; BIROCHIO D.; LUENGOS VIDAL E.

Oxford

Conferencia; Canid Biology and Conservation: An international conference; 2001

WildCRU, University of Oxford

We report the first results of a long-term project on the Pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus), one of the most widespread and least studied canids of Argentina, in the Tornquist Park (Pampas grasslands of Central Argentina). Foxes? diurnal activity is frequent, especially when compared to the second most common carnivore, the hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus chinga). Trapping and direct observation data suggest that the relative abundance of Pampas foxes is higher than those of the other carnivores of the area (the skunk, common grison, Galictis cuja, and Geoffroy?s cat, Oncifelis geoffroyi) and that guild structure is affected by the presence of introduced large ungulates. The food niche of P. gymnocercus is wide. Invertebrates and fruits are the most frequent food items in its scats, but their contribution to the ingested biomass is probably smaller than those of large mammals (mainly carrion) and rodents. Our preliminary data suggest that the seasonal and local variations of this fox feeding habits are influenced by variations of food availability and that these are, in turn, affected by the presence of large ungulates. We recently started a radio-telemetry study, aiming to compare the ecological niche of the Pampas fox in this reserve and in a farming area.