Seasonal variation in diet of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Serbia

Abstract

Seasonal variation in diet of golden jackal in Serbia was assessed by stomach content analysis. During the period 2004During the period -2013 samples were collected at two localitiesSurčin (central Serbia, 15 km west of Belgrade, along river Sava) and Veliko Gradište (northeastern Serbia, 85 km east of Belgrade, along Danube River). Jackals consumed a broad range (15) of different food categories. Seasonal differences in diet are related with the availability of certain food categories. Small mammals are the most important food category when they are most abundant-in summer and autumn regarding both frequency of occurrence and frequency of biomass consumed (32.1 %O and 36.5 %B, and 29.0 %O and 37.0 %B, respectively). Moreover, high percentage of plant material is recorded during summer (23.8 %O, 20.8 %B), consisting mainly of fruit that ripen at this time of the year. Due to presence of domestic ungulate leftovers on illegal dumps year-round, this food category is representing its staple diet. High overlap between summer and autumn as well as between winter and spring is recorded (C=0.97 and C=0.94, respectively). These findings confirm golden jackal's opportunistic nature, foraging behaviour and high dependence on human-provided food resources.

Dispersal history of the golden jackal (Canis aureus moreoticus Geoffroy, 1835) in Europe and possible causes of its recent population explosion

“…Its rapid westwards expansion on the continent generated great interest and has resulted in many publications on this issue in recent years (e.g. Arnold et al 2011, Šálek et al 2013, Galov et al 2015, Lanszki et al 2015, Penezić and Ćirović 2015, Rutkowski et al 2015, Trouwborst et al 2015, Ćirović et al 2016, Comazzi et al 2016, Musabekov et al 2016, Krofel et al 2017, Newsome et al 2017, Markov et al 2018). Yet, it remains a poorly studied species.…”

Molecular Detection and Genetic Variability of Hepatozoon canis in Golden Jackals (Canis aureus L. 1758) in Serbia

“…Compared to wolves, red foxes and jackals are omnivorous and highly adapted to coexist with humans in anthropogenic environments [ 48 ]. In such environments, the feeding habits of these species overlap to some extent, with small and medium-sized mammals (such as rodents and lagomorphs) representing very important food sources [ 6 , 49 ]. Accordingly, due to their diet, wild canids could become infected via prey, previously proven in some Hepatozoon species [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”

“…Previous studies have suggested a wide range of factors influencing jackal territory expansion, among which the increased availability of food waste from humans, significant land-use changes, climate change, and the absence of wolves are often considered the most important [ 5 ]. Therefore, due to their high adaptability and opportunistic diet, jackals are capable of successfully exploiting a wide variety of habitats, including human-modified ecosystems [ 6 ]. Moreover, according to population densities, it has been shown, especially in the Balkans, that agricultural land is often the jackal’s preferred habitats [ 7 ].…”

Variations in the trophic niches of the golden jackal Canis aureus across the Eurasian continent associated with biogeographic and anthropogenic factors

“…Where a study included data from two or more different study areas or populations within a single season (Raichev et al 2013, Ćirović et al 2014b, Lanszki et al 2016, or data from two or more seasons within a single area (e.g. Lanszki et al 2006, Aleksandra & Duško 2015, we treated each of these as individual datasets. This refinement resulted in a total of 50 datasets from 31 published articles being included in the final analysis, which together assessed a total of 1097 stomachs and 4439 scats from different localities or seasons ( Fig.…”