Abstract
Summary From sporadic sightings and recorded observations over the past hundred years, in the last decade of the 20 th century the golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) seems to have settled in the south-western part of Hungary. The winter-spring feeding habits of the golden jackal and the overlapping of its trophic niche with the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) were studied in parallel by scat analysis, in two adjoining areas on the north-western edge of the golden jackal range in the county of Somogy. Small mammals, mainly rodents, were dominant in the diet of the golden jackal (43% based on frequency of occurrence and 55% based on biomass); whereas, the carcasses of ungulates, mainly wild boar, played a secondary role (24% and 41%, respectively, based on the same parameters). Birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and plant matter did not occur in substantial proportions; neither fish nor domesticated animals were present. Predation on small game (hare and pheasant) did not occur on a significant scale. In the diet of red fox in the overlapping area with jackal, most important food species were small mammals (35% based on frequency of occurrence and 36% based on biomass) and carcasses (35 and 48%, respectively, based on the same parameters). The trophic niche of the two predators studied was similar.
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