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Bernard, K.M.T.; Perry, T.W.; Mgqatsa, N.
Puma (_Puma concolor_) sex influences diet in southwest New Mexico
2023  Western North American Naturalist (83): 153-164

Puma (_Puma concolor_) is a wide-ranging, large felid species, and site-specific research on its diet is important for local management. Like the diets of other large felids, puma diets may differ between sex due to size dimorphism and between seasons due to changes in prey vulnerability and availability. We investigated the influence of sex and season on puma diet in southwest New Mexico in terms of prey species and size categories. Pumas (10 males, 6 females) were tracked with GPS collars for an average of one year per individual between February 2008 and July 2020. Puma location was recorded every 2 hours between 19:00 and 7:00, and kill sites were identified by a minimum of 2 GPS fixes occurring within 100 m and 100 hours of the first fix. Pumas specialized on mule deer (_Odocoileus hemionus_) and elk (_Cervus elaphus_) but also preyed upon a range of other species of different sizes. The probability of making a medium-sized kill such as a mule deer was higher for females than for males, while the probability of making an extra-large kill, such as an elk, was considerably greater for males than for females. There was substantial variation in prey species and size categories killed by individual pumas, particularly of smaller-sized prey like collared peccary (_Pecari tajacu_) and skunks (e.g., _Spilogale gracilis_, _Mephitis mephitis_). Our findings concur with previous research on the importance of mule deer and elk in puma diet, demonstrate individual variation in prey killed, and may have management implications.

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