The diet of the feral cat (Felis catus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and dog (Canis familiaris) over a three-year period at Witchelina Reserve, in arid South Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Sally L. South ◽  
Paul Drummond ◽  
Gregory R. Johnston ◽  
Alex Nankivell
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Significant Seasonal Variation ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Pogona Vitticeps ◽  
First Time

Introduced predators have had, and continue to have, severe impacts on Australian biodiversity. At a recently established conservation reserve, Witchelina, in arid South Australia, we assessed the diet of feral cats (Felis catus) (404 samples), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (51 samples) and dog (Canis familiaris) (11 samples) over a 3-year period. There was marked overlap (98.5%) in dietary composition between cats and foxes. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) comprised a major dietary item for all three predators. Invertebrates contributed the largest number of prey items for foxes and cats, but mammals comprised the bulk, by weight, for all three predators. Birds and reptiles had a higher frequency of occurrence in the diet of cats than of foxes or dogs. The size of mammal prey taken was least for cats and greatest for dogs. The diets of cats and foxes showed significant seasonal variation, with reptiles and invertebrates being least common in the diet in winter. The threatened thick-billed grasswren (Amytornis modestus) was found for the first time in the diet of feral cats. Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) occurred in about one-third of cat and fox samples. This study contributes further to the evidence of biodiversity impacts of introduced predators, and the need for their strategic management.

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Q. Radford ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Sarah Legge ◽  
Marcus Baseler ◽  
Joss Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Introduced Predators

Context Over the last 230 years, the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has suffered a very high rate of decline and extinction relative to other continents. Predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) is implicated in many of these extinctions, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Aims To assess the degree to which Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species are susceptible at the population level to predation by the red fox and feral cat, and to allocate each species to a category of predator susceptibility. Methods We collated the available evidence and complemented this with expert opinion to categorise each Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (extinct and extant) into one of four classes of population-level susceptibility to introduced predators (i.e. ‘extreme’, ‘high’, ‘low’ or ‘not susceptible’). We then compared predator susceptibility with conservation status, body size and extent of arboreality; and assessed changes in the occurrence of species in different predator-susceptibility categories between 1788 and 2017. Key results Of 246 Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (including extinct species), we conclude that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator-susceptible; 52 species are highly predator-susceptible; 112 species are of low susceptibility; and 42 species are not susceptible to predators. Confidence in assigning species to predator-susceptibility categories was strongest for extant threatened mammal species and for extremely predator-susceptible species. Extinct and threatened mammal species are more likely to be predator-susceptible than Least Concern species; arboreal species are less predator-susceptible than ground-dwelling species; and medium-sized species (35 g–3.5kg) are more predator-susceptible than smaller or larger species. Conclusions The effective control of foxes and cats over large areas is likely to assist the population-level recovery of ~63 species – the number of extant species with extreme or high predator susceptibility – which represents ~29% of the extant Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal fauna. Implications Categorisation of predator susceptibility is an important tool for conservation management, because the persistence of species with extreme susceptibility will require intensive management (e.g. predator-proof exclosures or predator-free islands), whereas species of lower predator susceptibility can be managed through effective landscape-level suppression of introduced predators.

scholarly journals Rickettsiae in Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes), Marbled Polecat (Vormela Peregusna) and Their Ticks in Northwestern China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Liu ◽  
Shanshan Zhao ◽  
Wenbo Tan ◽  
Sándor Hornok ◽  
Wumei Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Autonomous Region ◽  
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region ◽  
Melophagus Ovinus ◽  
Rickettsia Sibirica ◽  
First Time

Abstract BackgroundPreviously, twelve Rickettsia species were found in ticks, fleas, sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus), bats (common pipistrelle: Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and a tick-bitten patient in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), northwestern China. Here we aimed to molecularly detect rickettsial agents in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks.MethodsDuring 2018-2019, 12 red foxes, 1 marbled polecat and their ticks were sampled in two counties and a city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwestern China). The heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney of these 13 carnivores were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Hard ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers.ResultsA total of 26 adult ticks and 28 nymphs (38 Ixodes canisuga, nine Ixodes kaiseri, six Haemaphysalis erinacei and one Dermacentor marginatus) were collected from red foxes, and four H. erinacei ticks were removed from a marbled polecat. Analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences indicated that 2-32 nucleotides differed between I. canisuga, I. kaiseri and H. erinacei from northwestern China and Europe. Rickettsia raoultii was detected in three red foxes, Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae in a red fox, Rickettsia sibirica in a red fox and a marbled polecat, and R. raoultii in two tick species (I. canisuga and D. marginatus).ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, I. canisuga and I. kaiseri have not been previously reported from red foxes in China. The DNA of R. sibirica and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in organs of red foxes, and R. sibirica in organs of marbled polecat. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii in I. canisuga. Our findings add to the range of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife species and associated ticks in China.

Possible Causes of Mortality in The Yellow-Footed Rock-wallaby, Petrogale xanthopus Gray (Marsupialia: Macropodidae).

1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
P. Hornsby
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
South Australia ◽  
The North ◽  
Flinders Ranges ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Time Of Year

The causes of mortality were analysed for 23 Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies, Petrogale xanthopus found on or near the dry bed of the Hamilton Creek in the North Flinders Ranges of South Australia. The results showed the Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes to be the more frequently identified predator. On the basis of size, 13 of the wallabies were classed as adult and seven were immature, while the remaining three were unknown. Three were male; seven were female, and 13 were of unknown sex. 15 of the 23 were found during the period April - July; the time of year when there is a peak of young leaving the pouch.

The good, the bad, and the ugly: space use and intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators—cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes)—under human pressure

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1402-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Krauze-Gryz ◽  
J.B. Gryz ◽  
J. Goszczyński ◽  
P. Chylarecki ◽  
M. ̇Zmihorski
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
The Other ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Intraguild Interactions

Examples of interspecific interactions have been described for mammalian predators, but less is known regarding disturbances of native predator guilds by domestic predators. We investigated intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators (dog ( Canis lupus familiaris L., 1758), cat ( Felis catus L., 1758), and red fox ( Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)) co-occurring in the extensive farmlands of central Poland. Their space use was monitored using tracking stations distributed in field and forest plots along a distance gradient from buildings and analyzed using the occupancy-modeling framework. For all three species occupancy decreased with increased distance from buildings, although for the fox the pattern was relatively weak. The occurrence of cats at the stations was higher in the forest than in the field; for fox and dog, there was a strong variation between study plots. For all three predators, the probability of detection was higher during the night than during the day and varied between the seasons; however, the exact patterns were species-specific. The presence of one predator was also linked to the presence of the other two species—generally, a given species was detected more frequently in the absence of the other two species. We recorded spatiotemporal niche segregation among the three species. We conclude that interspecific antagonistic interactions and differences in foraging ecology are the main drivers shaping co-occurrence of the three species in the agriculture landscape.

Preliminary Field Assessment of a Cabergoline Baiting Campaign for Reproductive Control of the Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes).

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA Marks ◽  
M Nijk ◽  
F Gigliotti ◽  
F Busana ◽  
RV Short
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Reproductive Control ◽  
Field Assessment ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Fox Control

The use of poison baiting in Australia to control foxes is impractical in urban areas and some wildlife reserves because of hazards to non-target animals. More acceptable methods of fox control in such environments are needed. Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist that has previously been demonstrated to have an abortifacient effect in cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis familiaris). The prolactin-inhibiting action of cabergoline may also result in cessation of lactation. Cabergoline has been shown to be completely palatable to foxes and is easily incorporated into a non-poisonous bait. The ability of bait-delivered cabergoline to effect the birth of viable fox cubs was tested in urban Melbourne and rural Bendigo, Victoria. A sample of 51 natal dens were chosen for this study on the basis that they had been active for 3 consecutive years (1991-93). 30 treatment dens were randomly selected and each treated once during August and again during September 1994 with 8 non-poisonous Foxoff baits containing 170 micro g of cabergoline and 200 mg of tetracycline to act as a biomarker. The remaining 21 dens were used as controls. Baits were randomly placed by burial within a 50-m radius of the den. Activity of all dens was assessed until December 1994 for direct/indirect signs of fox cubs. Bait uptake was >88% overall for the treatment dens. The resulting incidence of cubs was significantly lower in the treatment dens than in the controls. The potential for cabergoline to be used in urban areas and island populations as an adjunct to conventional control methods is discussed.

Impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease on introduced predators in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Holden ◽  
G. Mutze
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Flinders Ranges ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Haemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Impact

The impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) on the population dynamics and diet of foxes and feral cats was studied in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Populations of both foxes and cats decreased substantially some 6–10 months after the advent of RHD, when rabbit numbers were reduced by 85%. The diet of foxes changed as a result of reduced rabbit numbers, with much less rabbit and more invertebrates and carrion being eaten. The physical condition of foxes showed little change after RHD. The diet of cats did not change markedly, but their physical condition was substantially poorer than before RHD. Total predation on native fauna is considered to have decreased after RHD.

scholarly journals Rickettsiae in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks in northwestern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Liu ◽  
Shanshan Zhao ◽  
Wenbo Tan ◽  
Sándor Hornok ◽  
Wumei Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Melophagus Ovinus ◽  
Rickettsia Sibirica ◽  
First Time ◽  
Lung And Kidney

Abstract Background Previously, twelve Rickettsia species were identified in ticks, fleas, sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus), bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and a tick-bitten patient in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China. Here we aimed to molecularly detect rickettsial agents in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks. Methods During 2018–2019, 12 red foxes, one marbled polecat and their ticks were sampled in two counties and a city of the XUAR. The heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney of these 13 carnivores were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Hard ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers (17-kDa, gltA, ompA, sca1). Results A total of 26 adult ticks and 28 nymphs (38 Ixodes canisuga, nine Ixodes kaiseri, six Haemaphysalis erinacei and one Dermacentor marginatus) were collected from red foxes, and four Ha. erinacei ticks were removed from the marbled polecat. Analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences indicated that 2–32 nucleotides differed between I. canisuga, I. kaiseri and Ha. erinacei from northwestern China and Europe. Rickettsia raoultii was detected in three red foxes, Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae in a red fox, Rickettsia sibirica in a red fox and a marbled polecat, and R. raoultii in two tick species (I. canisuga and D. marginatus). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, I. canisuga and I. kaiseri have not been previously reported from red foxes in China. The DNA of R. sibirica and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in the organs of red foxes, and R. sibirica in the organs of a marbled polecat. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii in I. canisuga. Our findings expand the range of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife species and associated ticks in China.

Diet Of Foxes And Cats, With Evidence Of Predation On Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallabies (Petrogale Xanthopus Celeris) By Foxes In Southwsetern Queensland.

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJ Lapidge ◽  
S Henshall
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Stomach Content ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Stomach Content Analysis ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Feral Animal Control ◽  
Feral Animal

INTRODUCED red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus) were shot on Lambert, Acton and Caranna Pastoral Stations in southwestern Queensland (25�20'S; 145�24'E) (Fig. 1) as part of a feral animal control program undertaken before and during the experimental reintroduction of yellowfooted rock-wallabies (Petrogale xanthopus celeris) to Lambert Station. Animals were encountered during regular fieldtrip spotlight surveys or as part of a macropod harvesting program. Sixty-eight V. vulpes (20?, 10?, 38 sex unknown) and 32 F. catus (10?, 12?, 10 sex unknown) were shot between February 1998 and October 2000; stomach content analysis was carried out on 27 V. vulpes (18?, 9?) and 23 F. catus (11?, 12?). Animals not sexed or examined were shot in the absence of the first author.

scholarly journals An Addition to the Mammalian Fauna of Saskatchewan: The Western Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis

2012 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Gilbert Proulx ◽  
Benjamin P. Proulx
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Mammalian Fauna ◽  
Taxidea Taxus ◽  
South Central ◽  
Reithrodontomys Megalotis ◽  
American Badger ◽  
First Time ◽  
Harvest Mouse

The Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) is rare in Canada, and its distribution is believed to be restricted to south-central British Columbia and southeastern Alberta. Between 2008 and 2010, we identified Western Harvest Mouse hairs in 71 of 1424 scats (5%) of Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Coyote (Canis latrans), American Badger (Taxidea taxus), and Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) collected in southwestern Saskatchewan. The presence of Western Harvest Mouse was confirmed at the same latitude as populations reported in Alberta and British Columbia, in scats collected in or nearby grasslands. This is the first time that the presence of the Western Harvest Mouse has been confirmed in Saskatchewan.

Occurrence and diversity of arthropod-transmitted pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Austria, and possible vertical (transplacental) transmission ofHepatozoon canis

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADNAN HODŽIĆ ◽  
NAIKE MROWIETZ ◽  
RITA CÉZANNE ◽  
PIA BRUCKSCHWAIGER ◽  
SYLVIA PUNZ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Hepatozoon Canis ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Wild Canid ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Canid Species ◽  
First Time

SUMMARYRed fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most abundant wild canid species in Austria, and it is a well-known carrier of many pathogens of medical and veterinary concern. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence and diversity of protozoan, bacterial and filarial parasites transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods in a red fox population in western Austria. Blood (n= 351) and spleen (n= 506) samples from foxes were examined by PCR and sequencing and the following pathogens were identified:Babesia canis,Babesiacf.microti(syn.Theileria annae),Hepatozoon canis,Anaplasma phagocytophilum,CandidatusNeoehrlichia sp. andBartonella rochalimae. Blood was shown to be more suitable for detection ofBabesiacf.microti, whilst the spleen tissue was better for detection ofH. canisthan blood. Moreover, extremely low genetic variability ofH. canisand its relatively low prevalence rate observed in this study may suggest that the parasite has only recently been introduced in the sampled area. Furthermore, the data presented here demonstrates, for the first time, the possible vertical transmission ofH. canisfrom an infected vixen to the offspring, and this could explain the very high prevalence in areas considered free of its main tick vector(s).

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