Feeding habits of the crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora: Canidae), in a mosaic area with native and exotic vegetation in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766) is the most widespread neotropical canid, most commonly inhabiting forested areas. This animal is a generalist omnivore that is able to use environments disturbed by human activities. The aim of this study was to describe its diet through the stomach content analysis of 30 samples obtained from specimens that were run over in a mosaic composed by Araucaria Pine Forest, Semidecidual Seasonal Forest, natural grasslands, and exotic vegetation. The items were quantified by frequency of occurrence (F.O.) and percentage of occurrence (P.O.). A total of 64 food items were found among 171 occurrences. According to F.O. method, plant items corresponded to 93.3% of the occurrences, followed by animal items (86.7%) and human rejects (16.6%). Among plants, fruits accounted for 92.9% of the occurrences, followed by leaves (53.6%) and flowers (10.7%). Syagrus romanzoffianum (Cham.) Glassman, 1968 and the exotic Hovenia dulcis Thunberg were the most consumed fruits (30% each), and the most consumed leaves were Poaceae. Among preyed animals, the F.O. was 73.3% for invertebrates (mostly Orthoptera and Coleoptera, 36.7% each) and 63.3% for vertebrates (mostly mammals, 33.3%). Regarding the P.O. method, there was an overestimation of invertebrates (98.1%) due to the presence of ants and termites in the stomach of a single individual. In general, C. thous presented its usual diet. Its generalistic feeding habits can positively influence its survival in altered environments. This study also compares different methods for dietary analysis and discusses some opportunistic behaviors of C. thous, such as the consumption of exotic species and the use of silviculture areas as hunting sites.

Assessment of Cerdocyon thous distribution in an agricultural mosaic, southeastern Brazil

“…Cerdocyon thous has also been recorded in eucalyptus plantations by Lyra-Jorge et al (2008) and Dotta and Verdade (2007). Silviculture, as indicated by Rocha et al (2008), should be used by C. thous for foraging.…”

“…Cerdocyon thous is an insectivore/omnivore and is able to use environments disturbed by human activities owing to its opportunist and generalist habits (Facure and Monteiro-Filho 1996, Facure et al 2003, Bueno and Motta-Junior 2004, Jácomo et al 2004, Dotta and Verdade 2007, Courtenay and Maffei 2008, Rocha et al 2008. The generalist diet of C. thous includes fruits, plants, vertebrates and invertebrates, in addition to human rejects (Facure et al 1996, Juarez and Marinho-Filho 2002, Jácomo et al 2004, Rocha et al 2004, Gatti et al 2006a,b, Pedó et al 2006, Rocha et al 2008.…”

“…The generalist diet of C. thous includes fruits, plants, vertebrates and invertebrates, in addition to human rejects (Facure et al 1996, Juarez and Marinho-Filho 2002, Jácomo et al 2004, Rocha et al 2004, Gatti et al 2006a,b, Pedó et al 2006, Rocha et al 2008.…”

Anatomy of the medular cone of crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) applied epidural route of administration of drugs

“…Popularmente conhecido por raposa ou cachorro do mato (Rocha et al, 2008), a Cerdocyon thous é o canídeo silvestre mais comum do continente sul-americano, apresentando coloração grisalha, com alguns pelos negros, que podem variar individualmente (Pinheiro et al, 2011, Ramos Júnior et al, 2003. Por serem vítimas constantes de acidentes automobilísticos, caçadores, ou mesmo de armadilhas utilizadas para proteger a pecuária e agricultura, eventualmente são encaminhados a clinicas e hospitais veterinários.…”

Anatomia da fixação proximal do músculo reto femoral em humanos, Cebus apella e Alouatta guariba

“…159, Art. 1074, 2011 (CAZETTA e GALETTI, 2009;EISENBERG e REDFORD, 1999;FARIA-CORRÊA, 2004;ROCHA et al, 2008) Em sintonia com o interesse da anatomia, em especial no que tange aos animais silvestres, cujos aspectos anatômicos vêm incrementando discussões e análises de cunho morfofuncional (BASMAJIAN e DE LUCA, 1985;FARIA-CORRÊA, 2004), a presente pesquisa reporta-se aos aspectos das divisões e comportamento das artérias renais em Cerdocyon thous.…”