PREY USE BY 4 SYNTOPIC CARNIVORES IN A STRANDVELD ECOSYSTEM

The diet of four syntopic carnivore species (caracal Felis caracal, wa ter mongoose Atilax paludinosus, small grey mongoose Galerella pulveru lenta, and yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata) over a 12-month perio d in a coastal shrub ecosystem was examined using seat analysis. Use o f prey by all four species fluctuated synchronously and tracked corres ponding fluctuations in prey availability. This, as well as the use of relatively small food items (e.g. beetles, scorpions and spiders), in dicate an absence of dietary specialization and an opportunistic feedi ng behaviour in the carnivores studied, Food niche breadth in all four species changed seasonally, being widest during spring and contractin g gradually towards winter. A considerable degree of food niche overla p existed between species. Rodents (mainly Rhabdomys pumilio and Otomy s unisulcatus) were the main prey items of all four carnivore species and were used heavily throughout the year, despite marked declines in numbers towards winter.