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- Title
WILD PIGS AS PREDATORS IN OAK WOODLANDS OF CALIFORNIA.
- Authors
WILCOX, JEFFERY T.; VAN VUREN, DIRK H.
- Abstract
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are considered opportunistic omnivores that consume primarily plant matter; vertebrates are thought to constitute only a minor component of their diets, primarily as carrion, but active predation on vertebrates has been suspected. We examined the stomach contents of 104 wild pigs collected during a 7-year period in oak woodlands of the Diablo Range, California, and found that 40.4% contained vertebrate prey comprising 20 species, including 11 mammals, and totaling 167 individuals. Most stomachs with vertebrate prey included multiple individuals (≤18) of >1 species (≤6). Predation occurred in both male and female pigs and was most frequent during summer and fall, probably in response to protein deficiency in the diet. Wild pigs are a conservation concern because of their rooting behavior and consumption of mast; our results extend their potential impact to include predation on vertebrates, especially small mammals.
- Subjects
WILD boar; OMNIVORES; VERTEBRATES; PREDATION; FORESTS &; forestry; MAMMALS
- Publication
Journal of Mammalogy, 2009, Vol 90, Issue 1, p114
- ISSN
0022-2372
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1644/08-MAMM-A-017.1