Abstract

RODRIGUES, Flávio H.G. et al. Feeding habits of the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in the Brazilian cerrado. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2007, vol.14, n.1, pp.37-51. ISSN 0327-9383.

The maned wolf feeds mainly on fruits and small vertebrates. The diet of maned wolf was studied at Águas Emendadas Ecological Station (AEES) through 328 faecal samples collected from November 1996 to August 1999. To evaluate the seasonal variation in food availability, the fruit phenology of the wolf's fruit, the main food item in maned wolf's diet, was monitored counting the fruits produced in 20 marked plants. Fructification phenology of fleshy fruit plants in the cerrado habitat of AEES was recorded monitoring five plots of 100 x 20 m , where the number of fruit producing species and individuals were recorded. The diet composition was 60% vegetal items and 40% animal ones. The wolf's fruit, other fruits and small mammals were the most frequent consumed categories, but armadillos, wolf's fruit, medium size mammals, and small mammals were the most important categories considering biomass. Maned wolves are generalist, with a broad diet, and consume most of the food items according to their availability. However, wolves are selective with regard to some food items, particularly the wolf's fruit during the dry season.

Keywords : Cerrado domain; diet composition; food availability; trophic ecology.

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