Compared diet of wild cat (Felis silvestris) and genet (Genetta genetta) in a sympatic area of the Subbetic Mountains (SE Spain)

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1998
Authors:Sanchez, JMG
Journal:Miscellania Zoologica
Volume:21
Date Published:1998
Keywords:Felis silvestris
Abstract:

Scats analysis revealed significant differences between the feeding ecology of the wild cat and the genet in a sympatric area, located in Sierras Subbeticas (SE Spain). The wild cat's diet was based on rabbits (70% of biomass) and the genet on rodents (44% of biomass). The genet showed a larger trophic diversity (Levins's index B = 2.86) than the wild cat (B = 2.36), eating more birds and fewer rabbits. This general trophic behaviour followed the same seasonal tendency. The wild cat captured rabbits of all ages, while the genet only captured juveniles. Despite all these differences, there was a considerable trophic overlap (Pianka's index for %n = 0.968) and two complementary hypotheses are proposed to explain the coexistence, based on the abundance of resources and on the microhabitat segregation.

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