Seasonal diet and prey selection of black‐backed jackals on a small‐livestock farm inSouthAfrica

Abstract

The extent to which black‐backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) selectively consume domestic sheep (Ovis aries) compared to wild prey is unknown. Using faecal analysis and prey surveys, we determined the seasonal diet and prey selection of jackals on a small‐livestock farm in South Africa. Sheep comprised 25–48% of the biomass consumed by jackals across seasons, and consumption peaked during the lambing seasons, indicating sheep often were the main food resource for jackals. Another main food resource was wild ungulates <50 kg, primarily springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) and steenbok (Raphicerus campestris), which comprised 8–47% of the biomass consumed. Other important food items were mammals 1–3 kg (4–16%), which included hares (Lepus spp.) and springhares (Pedetes capensis), and small rodents (10–14%). Compared to the biomass available, jackals selectively consumed mammals 1–3 kg over sheep across all seasons, whereas wild ungulates <50 kg were selectively consumed over sheep in most seasons. Our results showed that jackals selectively consumed different food items throughout the year and that wild prey were consistently selected over sheep.

Dietary niche relationships among predators on farmland and a protected area

“…On farmland, jackals fed predominantly on small livestock (RFO: 41.6%), especially sheep (RFO: 25.4%). This result is similar to other studies recording livestock feeding in jackals, with RFO ranging from 3.4% to 48.1% with a mean of 21.6% (Grafton , Bothma , Rowe‐Rowe , Kok and Nel , Kamler et al ). Scat analysis cannot confirm if a prey item was actively hunted or scavenged.…”

“…The model converts the dry mass of the undigested remnants of prey in the scats into the biomass ingested of the different prey species. The prey spectrum used by Goszczyński () is similar to that of jackals in our study sites and the model was used by Kamler et al () for jackals. For felids, we used the model recently developed for obligate carnivores by Chakrabarti et al (): Y = (0.033–0.025 exp (−4.284( X / PBM ))) × PBM , where Y is the mass of prey consumed per collectable scat, X is the prey body mass, and PBM is the predator body mass.…”

“…In summer (Oct–Apr), average monthly maximum temperatures often exceeded 32°C, whereas in winter (May–Sep) average minimum temperatures were typically below 5°C and frost was common. The farmers used predator‐proof fences, which despite a packed apron of rocks at the base, were regularly breached by burrowing species providing other wildlife with temporary holes that facilitated movement between farms (Kamler et al ). Other medium‐ and small‐sized carnivores present were African wildcat ( Felis sylvestris ), aardwolf ( Proteles cristata ), Cape fox ( Vulpes chama ), Cape grey mongoose ( Herpestes pulverulentus ), small‐spotted genet ( Genetta genetta ), and bat‐eared fox ( Otocyon megalotis ).…”

“…The analysis of predator diet and prey preference provide valuable information about predator ecology, including their role in the ecosystems (Roemer et al , Ripple et al , Ćirović et al ), their potential competition or niche overlap with sympatric carnivores (Fedriani et al , Loveridge and Macdonald , Azevedo et al , Lanszki et al ), and their effects on prey populations (Głowaciński and Profus , Klare et al ), including livestock (Kamler et al , Banerjee et al ), through dietary choice and prey preference. When natural food resources are limited by human activities such as farming, predators may switch their diet to include domestic species (Farias and Kittlein , Morehouse and Boyce , Humphries et al ).…”

The Influence of Large Predators on the Feeding Ecology of Two African Mesocarnivores: The Black-Backed Jackal and the Brown Hyaena

“…Both species alter their diets in relation to fluctuations in food availability (Kaunda & Skinner 2003;Maude & Mills 2005;Klare et al 2010;Kamleret al2012), andithas been suggested that in the absence of large predators jackals occupy the niche of apex predators and prey more frequently on large (>15 kg) herbivores (Kamleret al 2010;Klare et al2010;Kamler et al 2012). Both jackal and brown hyaena have also been recorded as occasionally being killed by apex predators (Skinner & Chimimba, 2005;Mills, 1990).…”