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Extension of the diet of an extreme foraging specialist, the aardwolf (Proteles cristata)

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 06:18 authored by de Vries, JL, Pirk, CWW, Bateman, PW, Elissa Cameron, Dalerum, F
The aardwolf, Proteles cristata, is a highly specialized myrmecophagous carnivore that feeds almost exclusively on termites of the genus Trinervitermes. Here we report data from an ongoing analysis of aardwolf diet, where we documented remains of sun spiders and scorpions in aardwolf scats. Although the prevalence of these items was low, with sun spiders recorded in nine and scorpion remains in one of 246 scats, our observations suggest that aardwolves opportunistically feed on larger prey than previously thought. However, our observations do not suggest that aardwolves utilized these large prey items as alternatives to their main food resource during periods of food scarcity. Therefore, we suggest that the adaptive advantages of such opportunism may be small, but that the observed behavioural plasticity could be advantageous under specific environmental conditions and therefore is maintained as a behavioural trait.

History

Publication title

African Zoology

Volume

46

Pagination

194-196

ISSN

1562-7020

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Zoological Soc Southern Africa

Place of publication

Grahamstown, 6140 South Africa

Rights statement

© Copyright 2011, The Zoological Society of Southern Africa.

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Other environmental management not elsewhere classified

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