DIET COMPOSITION AND HABITAT USE OF SYMPATRIC POLECAT AND AMERICAN MINK IN WESTERN FRANCE

Food habits of European polecat Mustela putorius Linnaeus, 1758 and of American mink Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 are compared by analysis o f scats collected from two radiotracked animals in a marsh habitat ove r a 5 month period, Both predators take a wide range of prey but polec at consumes more rodents and feeds upon amphibians in spring, whereas mink mainly preys on fish and birds. Dietary overlap results from the common utilization of rodent prey. Both predators reduce competition b y intensive exploitation of different resources and by segregation in the space use.