Abstract

PESSINO, Marcelo EM; SARASOLA, José H; WANDER, Claudio  and  BESOKY, Nestor. Long-term response of puma (Puma concolor) to a population decline of the plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) in the Monte desert, Argentina. Ecol. austral [online]. 2001, vol.11, n.2, pp.61-67. ISSN 1667-782X.

We examined puma (Puma concolor) food habits between 1994-1997 and 2000 in Lihue Calel National Park area. Using fecal analysis we identified 244 prey items in 198 feces. Mammalian species accounted for 97% of all prey items, birds 2% and reptiles 1%. In terms of relative biomass, large preys (> 20 kg) made up 40.6% of the diet, medium preys (1-20 kg) 59.1% and small preys (< 1 kg) 0.3%. From 1994 to 1996 plains vizcachas (Lagostomus maximus) were the staple prey of pumas, even though they were declining. This process was evidenced in the reduction and subsequent disappearance of vizcachas in pumas diet. Parallelly, there was an increase of other medium-sized preys, especially armadillos (Chaetophractus villosus and Zaedyus pichiy), and ungulates (Sus scrofa and Lama guanicoe). During the study period, both the breadth of diet and the mean weight of vertebrate prey were generally higher than those recorded during previous studies in the same area.

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