FOOD HABITS OF THE OCELOT (Leopardus pardalis) IN A LOWLAND ATLANTIC FOREST OF SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL HÁBITOS ALIMENTARIOS DEL OCELOTE (Leopardus pardalis) EN EL BOSQUE ATLÁNTICO DEL SURESTE DE BRASIL

DOS SANTOS, JOYCE G.; ENTRINGER, HILTON; SRBEK-ARAUJO, ANA CAROLINA

MASTOZOOLOGí­A NEOTROPICAL

UNIDAD DE ZOOLOGÍA Y ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL, INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE INVESTIGACIÓN DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS, CRICYT, CONICET

Año: 2022 vol. 29 p. 1 - 8

0327-9383

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) has a diverse diet and contributes to the control of animal populations at intermediate trophic levels, acting as an efficient mesopredator. Here, we characterized the diet of L. pardalis in a remnant of lowland Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, determining the species and the main prey items consumed (those with a percentage of occurrence [PO]≥5%), as well as its trophic specialization. We characterized L. pardalis diet using 30 fecal samples collected in the Vale Natural Reserve (Linhares/ES), between October 2014 and September 2016. Forty-nine food items were identified and distributed into 14 taxa, half of which were recognized as main prey (Cuniculus paca, Dasypus spp., Didelphis aurita, Mazama spp., Nasua nasua, Salvator merianae, and Sapajus robustus; 81.6% of the consumed items). Mammals were the most consumed (PO= 83.7%), followed by Reptilia (12.2%) and Aves (4.1%). Medium-sized prey (1-15 kg) were the most representative (PO= 84.9%), followed by large (>15 kg; 10.9%) and small prey (