Intake of Mast By Wildlife in Texas and the Potential for Competition with Wild Boars

Abstract

Abstract In Texas, introduced wild boars (Sus scrofa) consume mast crops that are high-quality foods sought by native wildlife. Because mast often is abundant but ephemeral, competition among species is expected. Relative rates of intake among individuals can determine how much mast can be obtained and digested. Our objective was to determine intake of mast by wild boars, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), and raccoons (Procyon lotor). Trials were conducted with pods from honey mesquites (Prosopis glandulosa), acorns from live oaks (Quercus virginiana), and acorns from Shumard oaks (Quercus shumardii). Rate of intake of dry matter (g/min), rate of bites (bites/min), and size of bites (g/bite) were determined for each species. Despite their larger size, wild boars did not have consistently higher rates of intake than species of native wildlife. However, rates of intake for wild boars were among the highest for pods of honey me...