Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 77 (1): 5-14, 2004
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Food habits of two syntopic canids, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and
the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), in southeastern Brazil
The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and the crab-eating fox
(Cerdocyon thous) are two South American canids with large overlap in their geographic distribution. However, there are
few data on the comparative ecology of these species. The aim of this research was to quantify the diet of these two canids living in
syntopy at three levels: frequency of occurrence, minimum number of individuals preyed and estimated biomass ingested. Additionally,
seasonality in the consumption of major groups of food items and aspects of prey size distribution were assessed. The study took
place in the Experimental Station of Itapetininga, São Paulo State, Brazil. General results showed that both canids are omnivorous in
accordance with other studies. By occurrences, the wolves consumed vegetal and animal food in similar proportions, whereas the
foxes consumed more animals, mainly insects. In contrast, both canids ingested mainly animal food if biomass is considered. The
maned wolf consumed more wolf’s fruit (Solanum lycocarpum) and small mammals in the dry season, and miscellaneous
fruits during the wet season. The crab eating fox also ingested more miscellaneous fruits in the wet season, but the insects were
mostly consumed during dry months. The crabeating fox is more generalist than the maned wolf, but the wolf seems better able to
handle distinct prey types. The distribution of prey sizes suggested separate food niches: while the maned wolf consumed a larger
spectrum of prey sizes, especially small vertebrates between 10.1 and 100.0 g, the crab- eating fox consumed smaller prey, mainly
insects between 0.01 and 0.1 g.
Key words:
Chrysocyon
brachyurus, Cerdocyon thous, Brazil, diet, syntopy
