Season- and locality-related changes in the diet of Asiatic jackal (Canis aureus) in Potohar, Pakistan

Authors

MUHAMMAD SAJID NADEEM
RUQQYA NAZ
SYED ISRAR SHAH
MIRZA AZHAR BEG
AMJAD RASHID KAYANI
MUHAMMAD MUSHTAQ
TARIQ MAHMOOD

DOI

10.3906/zoo-1109-16

Abstract

Feeding habits of the Asiatic jackal were studied through 98 scats collected between January 2009 and March 2010 from different sites in Potohar, Pakistan. The overall frequency of occurrence of plant items was 54.0%; the animal prey item frequency was 46.2%. Among the plant foods, Ziziphus was eaten year round, whereas wild olive, grasses, and wheat grains were the chief components of the diet during all seasons except summer. Among the animal food items, livestock carcasses were consumed year round; the highest consumption was observed during the summer and autumn seasons and the lowest in winter. Small mammals, particularly rodents, were also eaten year round, but not as intensively as livestock carcasses. Overall biomass consumption of these 2 food sources was 67.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Mammalian biomass was consumed in significantly higher proportions in all seasons and localities.

Keywords

Frequency, biomass, seasonal variation, protected and unprotected areas

First Page

798

Last Page

805

Recommended Citation

NADEEM, MUHAMMAD SAJID; NAZ, RUQQYA; SHAH, SYED ISRAR; BEG, MIRZA AZHAR; KAYANI, AMJAD RASHID; MUSHTAQ, MUHAMMAD; and MAHMOOD, TARIQ (2012) "Season- and locality-related changes in the diet of Asiatic jackal (Canis aureus) in Potohar, Pakistan," Turkish Journal of Zoology: Vol. 36: No. 6, Article 10. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1109-16
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/vol36/iss6/10