Autumn diet of the edible dormouse in Galicia, northwest Spain

Abstract

The proportion of time that male and female raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) spent at the den during pup rearing was studied in Finland using radiotracking. Results were compared with the behaviour of some other canids. Male raccoon dogs spent even more time at the den than females, especially during the day when males remained almost 80% of the time at the den, but females only about 60%. The behaviour of males and females did not differ at night. Consequently, the behaviour of males differed at various times of day and night, but that of females did not. During the 1st month after birth pups were seldom left by themselves: during day both parents were often at the den, but at night only one of them was usually at the den. That males spend more time at the den with pups than females is common behaviour in the raccoon dog and the bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis. These canids feed on small food items that are difficult to carry to the den, especially if food is scarce and widely distributed. Instead, the female forages and nurses the pups, and the male guards the litter. In species with larger food items, the males usually carry food to the den. When food items are very large they cannot be carried to the den, but males and other pack members feed from the carcass and regurgitate food at the den.