Suchergebnisse

The diet of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda, from
the Simpson Desert in Queensland, was analysed using scats collected between
1990 and 1995. Insects, arachnids and rodents were the main classes of prey of
D. cristicauda, but reptiles, centipedes and small
marsupials were also consumed. Insects represented 92% by percentage
frequency of occurrence in scats, while rodents represented 33% by
percentage frequency. Invertebrate prey ≥6 mm in length and vertebrate prey
occurred frequently in scats, but small prey ( 1–5 mm), when present,
occurred in large numbers. D. cristicauda ate more
individual prey items in spring and winter than in autumn, and more
large-sized prey in spring than in autumn. In autumn,
D. cristicauda consumed mostly insects (100% by
frequency) and few rodents (8%), but in winter and spring, switched to
rodents (38% and 47% respectively) and insects (88% and
93% respectively). Seasonal shifts in diet may reflect changes in the
availability of different groups of prey, or changes in prey selectivity by
D. cristicauda in response to costs imposed by seasonal
reproduction. The dietary flexibility of D. cristicauda
may allow individuals to occupy stable ranges, and has perhaps also promoted
the persistence of the species in arid areas that have been subjected to
changes in land use since European settlement.