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Diet of the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) in the Tasmanian Southern Midlands
The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is generally considered to be myrmecophagous, consuming a diet consisting of ants and termites. The range and seasonal variation of food items consumed by echidnas in the Southern Midlands of Tasmania, an area where termites are absent, was examined using faecal scat analysis. Scat analysis indicated that echidnas in this region are not purely myrmecophagous. Whilst ants were present in 96% of scats and made up 55 ± 39% of scat contents by percentage volume, non-ant food items (scarab larvae and Oxycanus moth larvae) were found in 72% of scats. Scarab larvae were present in 68% of scats, and in those scats made up 46 ± 39% of the volume of prey material. The only significant seasonal variation of any dietary item was for scarab larvae, which can be attributed to variations in the abundance of these larvae throughout their lifecycle. The patterns of consumption indicate that echidnas are opportunistic foragers.
History
Publication title
Australian MammalogyVolume
38Pagination
188-194ISSN
0310-0049Department/School
School of Natural SciencesPublisher
CSIRO PublishingPlace of publication
Locked Bag 10 Clayton, VIC 3169 AustraliaRights statement
Journal compilation copyright Australian Mammal Society 2016Repository Status
- Restricted