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- Title
Food habits of the otter Lutra lutra L. and the mink Mustela vison Schreber in a trout water in southern Sweden.
- Authors
Erlinge, Sam
- Abstract
The feeding habits of otter and mink were studied in a trout water in southern Sweden in 1966-68. 350 otter seats and 122 mink seats, collected from all the seasons, were analysed. The fish fauna was studied by means of electro-fishing. The food of the two predators greatly over. lapped (60-70% approximately) as they both exploited easily available prey. The otter fed for most of the year almost exe clusively on fish (frequency analysis indicated 90.8% of food). The mink fed not only upon fish but also upon water-fowl and mammals, mainly small rodents (24.4% and 9.5% respectively of food). The corresponding figures for the otter were 5.5% and 0.2%. The two predators tended to feed upon fish of different sizes. About 30% of the fish taken by otter exceeded the maximum size of fish generally taken by mink. The differences in the food habits were primarily due to different adaptations of the two predators but to some extent to interference. Otter and mink compete for food in winter. The trout population suffered less mortality than fishes more available to predation, viz. Lota lota, cyprinids, Esox lucius and Perca/fuviatilis. The non-salmonid fishes were 94.3% of all fish taken by otter and 92.3% of the fish caught by mink.
- Subjects
SWEDEN; FOOD habits; LUTRA lutra; LUTRA; MUSTELA; MUSTELIDAE
- Publication
Oikos, 1969, Vol 20, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0030-1299
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3543739