Abstract
This note reports the observation of an adult Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) holding a Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus chinga) in its claws. We assumed that it is a case of opportunistic predation because the skunk is larger than this owl’s regular preys. However, we could not exclude the possibility of opportunistic scavenging, despite this being an uncommon behavior for the Great Horned Owl. This is the first report of a Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk preyed by a Great Horned Owl, an unusually large prey to an owl that preys mainly upon small mammals (e.g. rodents). Also, it is an uncommon report of consumption of mammal carnivores by owls in South America.
Highlights
Mammals are a common prey of raptors
This note reports the observation of an adult Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) holding a Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus chinga) in its claws
We could not exclude the possibility of opportunistic scavenging, despite this being an uncommon behavior for the Great Horned Owl. This is the first report of a Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk preyed by a Great Horned Owl, an unusually large prey to an owl that preys mainly upon small mammals. It is an uncommon report of consumption of mammal carnivores by owls in South America
Summary
Mammals are a common prey of raptors. Small mammals are the main prey of several raptors and some large raptors prey upon medium-sized mammals (FergusonLees & Christie 2001, König & Weick 2008). There are not many examples of raptors preying upon carnivores (Jaksic & Marti 1984, Teta et al 2008). We report the consumption of Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus chinga: Carnivora) by a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus: Strigiformes). This is the first documented report of a Molina’s Hog-nosed Skunk as prey of a Great Horned Owl
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