Abstract
Simple SummaryBehavioral interspecific interference species is well-documented only amongst carnivore mammals, whereas being rare for ungulates and rodents. We report data on interactions between roe deer and crested porcupine at feeding sites. Aggressions by crested porcupines toward roe deer, often through chasing and more rarely through biting and attacking, were noted in about 16% of observations. In the remaining 84% of observations, roe deer and porcupines feed within the same feeding site, without interacting. Aggressions occurred mostly in warm months, when interspecific competition for food between these species is suggested to be the highest.Despite being common amongst carnivore mammals, behavioral interference between wild herbivore species is poorly documented. Particularly, in temperate areas, where the ungulate guild is composed of a few species, and large-sized rodents are scarce, most cases of interspecific interactions involve at least one alien species. In this work, we report the first data on behavioral interactions between roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, and crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata. Aggressions by crested porcupines toward roe deer were observed in 34 out of 202 observations of both species feeding at the same site. In the other 168 observations, roe deer and porcupines shared the same feeding area, without any interaction. In 58% cases of interaction, porcupines chased and pushed roe deer away from feeding areas, and in several other cases, roe deer were bitten, or injured with quills. Aggressions by porcupines occurred mostly during warm months, when roe deer are mostly solitary and when competition for food between these species is suggested to be the highest, and against single female individuals.
Highlights
We report the first data on behavioral interactions between roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, and crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata
Behavioral interference is a form of interspecific interaction which may occur through direct physical aggression and/or resource depletion by the upper competitor toward the lower one [8,9,10,11]
A total of 202 observations (94 in cold months, 108 in warm ones) with crested porcupines and roe deer (90 males, 102 females; 96 adults, 106 juveniles), feeding at a distance of 5–30 meters, were roe deer (90 males, 102 females; 96 adults, 106 juveniles), feeding at a distance of 5–30 meters, were carried out at 18 sites located in Northern–Central Italy
Summary
Interspecific and intraspecific interactions are attractive for wildlife photographers and watchers [1,2,3,4,5], as they are often spectacular and, easy to detect by non-specialists [6,7].Behavioral interference is a form of interspecific interaction which may occur through direct physical aggression and/or resource depletion by the upper competitor toward the lower one [8,9,10,11].Large-sized or gregarious species may outcompete small-sized or solitary ones for feeding sites [12,13].Interspecific aggressive behavior is common for carnivores [14,15], whereas it is less documented for herbivores [16,17]. Interspecific and intraspecific interactions are attractive for wildlife photographers and watchers [1,2,3,4,5], as they are often spectacular and, easy to detect by non-specialists [6,7]. Behavioral interference is a form of interspecific interaction which may occur through direct physical aggression and/or resource depletion by the upper competitor toward the lower one [8,9,10,11]. Interspecific aggressive behavior is common for carnivores [14,15], whereas it is less documented for herbivores [16,17]. Most interspecific aggressive interactions in temperate areas occur when at least one of the interacting species is alien [16,17,18]. Redefinition of Animals 2020, 10, 623; doi:10.3390/ani10040623 www.mdpi.com/journal/animals
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