Food habits of Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in the central Monte desert of Argentina. Journal of Arid Environment

BISCEGLIA, SILVINA; PEREIRA, JAVIER; TETA, PABLO; QUINTANA, RUBEN DARÍO

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2008 vol. 72 p. 1120 - 1126

0140-1963

Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is a little-known South American Felid. Here we report the first detailed data on its food habits in a protected area of the central Monte desert, Argentina. We collected and analyzed 182 feces, identifying a total of 441 prey items. We found 2,4 ± 1,5 prey items per scat, with a range between 1 and 10. Our results confirm that, as with most other felids, Geoffroy’s cats is a small-sized predator specialized in capturing vertebrates. Small mammals were the most frequent prey items, representing 63.3 % or more of the food items in each season. The Sigmodontinae rodents Akodon molinae and Calomys musculinus were the most important prey trourought the study period.