Diet of the South american gray fox Lycalopex griseus in an agroecosystem of southern-central Chile

Lycalopex griseus is a canid distributed in Chile and part of Argentina. Although its food habits have been extensively documented, data for anthropized environments are missing. Understanding the response of this species in these habitats is key, given the progressive modification of the landscape throughout its range. The study area is an agroecosystem of southern-central Chile. Scats were collected throughout the study area and analyzed in the laboratory. Food remains in scats were identified to species and quantified, considering the percentage of the various prey categories in terms of both relative frequency and relative biomass. Thirteen categories were found, with rodents dominating in terms of both relative frequency and percent biomass, followed by birds and arthropods. The presence of exotic species in the food spectrum is highlighted, represented by orders Lagomorpha and Rodentia. Plant material was found to a lesser extent. The diversity of preys evidences that Lycalopex griseus is mainly generalist in this type of habitat, as arboreal species were scarce in the diet, an expected finding considering the predominance of herbaceous vegetation in the study area. Lagomorphs were poorly represented compared to other latitudes, suggesting segregation with other species.