IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Baatargal, O.; Suuri, B. | |
| Diet of the Pallas's cat (_Otocolobus manul_) in Mongolian steppe habitat during a population peak of Brandt's voles | |
| 2021 Journal of Arid Environments (193): 104583 | |
Pallas's cats range across Central Asia and commonly consume small mammals. Most studies on Pallas's cats' diets found that they strongly selected particular prey species, such as pika (_Ochotona _spp.). Pika occurrence in Pallas's cat diet was disproportionately high compared to availability in Central Mongolia. We conducted research into Pallas's cat ecology in Khalzan Soum, Sukhbaatar Aimag since 2018. Brandt's vole density started to increase in 2017, peaked in 2018-2019, and decreased in 2020. We collected feces of Pallas's cats every month from May 2019 to May 2020. During this time, the monthly percent occurrence of Brandt's voles in Pallas's cats' diet ranged from 82.6 to 89.9%. We found a significant correlation between rodent abundance and occurrence in scats of Pallas's cats during the kitten rearing season. Brandt's vole (_Lasiopodomys brandtii_), Daurian ground squirrel (_Ochotona dauurica_) and Mongolian hamster (_Allocricetulus curtatus_) were significantly preferred. Our research provides insights into how Pallas's cats play an important role in biological control in this ecosystem during a Brandt's vole's population irruption. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |