One of the most difficult species to see and, therefore, to study in the region is the wild cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), a small feline that can weigh up to 8 kilos and extends from southern Bolivia and Brazil to the extreme south of Argentine Patagonia where it usually lives in grasslands, forests, bushes and savannahs. Romina D’Agostino, support professional from the Patagonian Institute for the Study of Continental Ecosystems (IPEEC-CONICET) carried out work together with Daniel Udrizar Sauthier, researcher from the same Institute, in which they analyzed the diet of this species in Peninsula Valdés, Chubut, Argentina.
“We identified latrines within the reserve and collected and analyzed 160 samples of fresh feces collected between 2013 and 2016. In addition, we used Sherman traps baited with vanilla and oats to know the availability of micromammals in the area,” says the CENPAT specialist. .
As a result of analyzing the samples, the scientists identified ten species of mammals, one species of tinamou, one genus of lizard and one order of insects. “We analyzed the feces and recorded that it feeds mainly on mammals, birds and to a lesser extent reptiles and insects. Among mammals, it feeds mainly on small mammals, that is, field mice, cuises and tucos. If we talk about medium-sized mammals, the wild cat can eat piches, European hares and Patagonian maras. And, among birds, it also feeds on martinets.”
A striking fact for the IPEEC team was that the wildcat does not feed on the most abundant species, but rather on those that are easiest to hunt. Among the micromammals, the most found in the feces was the Akodon iniscatus, known as the Patagonian mouse, and not the most abundant in the area as is the silky mouse, Eligmodontia typus. Something similar occurs between the mara and the hare, the former being more abundant and the latter being hunted more by the wild cat.
On the other hand, scientists were able to demonstrate that this feline always goes to the same latrine, where it not only goes to defecate, but also takes the opportunity to scratch its nails and use it as its own place to which it goes several times a day.
Although San Pablo de Valdés is a reserve, it is adjacent to livestock establishments on the Peninsula. However, throughout the three years of research, D’Agostino and Udrizar Sauthier did not find remains of sheep in the feces of the animals studied: “That is good because it increases tolerance to the presence of this feline in the establishments. However, there are reports of predation and rural residents tell you that the wildcat causes them harm because it consumes lambs and also enters the chicken coop, so there is a conflict between humans and the wildcat that consumes livestock and poultry,” he points out. D’Agostino.
Part of the importance of this work has to do, precisely, with this existing conflict between the residents and the wildcat as a predator: “This study is useful for working on conservation because now we know what it feeds on and what places to conserve. If we protect that habitat that the animal uses to shelter, to reproduce, to have its young and also to feed, because the prey is there, it is likely that it will not go to the establishments to eat domestic animals and livestock.”
“This work is the first approach to the wildcat diet carried out in central Argentine Patagonia and provides knowledge not only about ecological aspects, but also about the natural history of this feline species,” concludes Romina D’Agostino.
