Abstract:The raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1839) is an introduced canine species, currently widely distributed in Europe. The raccoon dog is a relatively new alien predator in Polish fauna and can be considered a threat to the native species. However, little is known about its distribution or habitat selection in western Poland. Until the 1970s, only 20 single records o f raccoon dogs in the western and south-western parts o f Poland had been noted. New data on the numbers of raccoon dogs, its distribution and habitat preferences in the western Poland have been collected using questionnaires. 289 new localities have been reported. Raccoon dogs have been observed mostly in five types of habitats: forests, arable fields, banks of water bodies, roads and human settlements, wet meadows and marshes.
Abstract:The influence of recent anthropogenic and climatic changes on the distribution or population size of individual species should be especially pronounced at the boundaries of their geographical ranges. Therefore, in summers 2008-2010, we live-trapped small mammals and analysed habitat features on 14 study plots comprising various wet habitats of Słowiński National Park (at the Baltic coast in northern Poland) in order to recognize the current distribution and population size of Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 in its northernmost population in Europe. N. anomalus was, however, captured only on one plot -a wet, unmown meadow crossed by unkempt drainage ditches, situated on the Gać Peninsula (Półwysep Gacki). This result, compared to historical data, suggests that neither the abundance of N. anomalus has increased nor its range has been extended. We give a detailed description of the habitat in this study plot. The information can be useful in the protection of this rare shrew species with very specific habitat requirements.
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