The feeding ecology of lions ( Panthera leo, Linnaeus 1758) was investigated in and around Waza National Park, northern Cameroon. Diet was determined using global positioning system (GPS) data of lion kill sites (clusters of GPS location points) collected using radio collars. Lions consumed 14 different prey species, with five species that were either medium (50 -200 kg) or large ( > 200 kg) in size forming the bulk of kills. The western kob ( Kobus kob kob ) was the most common (23.5 % ) wild prey of lions, but worryingly livestock (predominantly cattle) constituted as much as 21.6 % of the diet. This creates a conservation problem resulting in lions being killed in retaliation. However, this conflict is strongly exacerbated by herders driving their cattle into the park for forage and water. Wild prey was also consumed outside the park (6.7 % ), suggesting excursions beyond the park boundary. Lions showed a preference for wild prey over livestock when relative abundances were considered. Management efforts to reduce livestock intrusion into the park and to reverse the declining trends of wild prey populations would significantly reduce predation of livestock and prevent persecution of lions in this park, but conflict mitigation measures outside the park are also urgently needed.

Differences in food preferences between two sympatric canids, the golden jackal (Canis aureus), which is currently spreading from south-east Europe and is a little-known species in Europe, and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were investigated. Data on diet composition and food availability were collected over a 13-season period, in a temperate climate agricultural area of Hungary. We found that jackals and foxes preferred small mammals (Ivlev's electivity index, E i s0.38 and 0.39, respectively), and avoided towards wild boar (E i s -0.43 and -0.56, respectively) and cervids (E i s-0.92 and -0.94, respectively). Jackals preferred pheasant less than foxes (E i s0.06 and 0.51, respectively). Within small mammals, both predators preferred the open field living species, with the forest living species being less favoured. The relationship between the available biomass of small mammals, as the primarily important food resource for both canids, and the proportion of consumed biomass of small mammals was not close. This was probably as a result of abundant food resources and high trophic flexibility of the golden jackal and red fox allowing these two closely related carnivores to coexist sympatrically in Central European areas without resource partitioning.

Even though the puma (Puma concolor) is the second largest felid in America and is widely distributed in both the continent and in Colombia. Knowledge about its food habits in many areas of the Neotropics, especially in the highlands, is still limited. We surveyed nine localities in Tamá NNP (National Natural Park) and its buffer zone monthly from June 2012 to May 2015, between 2,067 and 3,500 masl. We surveyed three linear transects of 2 to 3 km in each locality searching for scats, which were located mainly on mountain ridges. We analyzed fecal contents and estimated the minimum number of samples needed to describe puma diet, as well as the absolute frequency of records for each prey species, their relative frequency of occurrence, and biomass consumed. Potential prey species were identified using photos from camera traps at the same localities. Fe-cal analysis (n = 45) suggests at least eight species of medium-sized mammals as prey. Of these, three species were the most frequent, contributing 67.87 % of the biomass consumed: Nasua nasua, Mazama rufina and Cuniculus taczanowskii. The latter is a newly reported food item for the puma. No large or domestic species were recorded as part of the species' diet for the study area, in spite of its availability. Considering the potential conflict with communities surrounding the protected area, by the alleged consumption of farm animals by this and other felids, it appears that the availability of wild prey in Tamá NNP is suitable for puma and apparently the species does not need to use alternative prey as livestock. Our data suggest that the minimum number of samples required to estimate the diet in our study area varies between 31 and 41, suggesting that our results (n = 45) are a good estimate of the species' diet. This work highlights the importance of expanding the knowledge about puma foraging ecology in order to generate better conservation strategies for a species of great importance for the dynamics and stability of the Colombian Andean ecosystems. A pesar de que el puma (Puma concolor) es el segundo felino más grande en América y presenta una amplia distribución tanto en el conti-nente como en Colombia. La información sobre los hábitos alimenticios en muchas de las áreas a nivel del Neotrópico, especialmente en zonas altas, aún es limitada. Se realizaron muestreos en nueve localidades del PNN (Parque Nacional Natural) Tamá y su zona de amortiguación men-sualmente entre junio del 2012 y mayo del 2015, entre los 2,067 y 3,500 msnm. Se realizaron tres transectos lineales de entre 2 y 3 km (por cada localidad) para búsqueda de heces, las que se ubicaron principalmente sobre las crestas de las montañas. Se analizó el contenido y se estimó el número mínimo de muestras necesario para describir la dieta del Puma, la frecuencia absoluta de las presas, de ocurrencia y biomasa consumida. Las especies potenciales también se obtuvieron a través de cámaras trampa de las mismas localidades. El análisis de excretas (n = 45) indicó al menos ocho especies de mamíferos medianos como presas. Las tres más frecuentes y las que aportan en conjunto el 67.87 % de la biomasa consumida son: Nasua nasua, Mazama rufina y Cuniculus taczanowskii. Esta última especie es un nuevo registro en la dieta para el puma. Ningu-na especie grande o doméstica fue registrada como parte de la dieta para el área de estudio, a pesar de su disponibilidad. Aunque el conflicto potencial con comunidades aledañas al área protegida es el supuesto consumo de animales domésticos, parece que la disponibilidad de presas silvestres en el PNN Tamá es la adecuada para los pumas y no tienen necesidad de utilizar presas alternativas como el ganado. Nuestros datos muestran que el número mínimo de muestras necesarias para estimar la dieta del puma es de 31 a 41, lo que sugiere que este trabajo (n = 45) es una buena aproximación. Este trabajo resalta la importancia de conocer aún más sobre estos aspectos ecológicos para así poder generar mejo-res estrategias de conservación para la especie, la cual es de gran importancia para la dinámica y estabilidad de los ecosistemas Andinos del país.

We investigated the dietary differences among four extant suid genera using 3D dental microwear texture analysis on the enamel surfaces of molar shearing facets. We tested the differences among four taxa for four variables: complexity, anisotropy, and heterogeneity at two scales. This enabled us to distinguish omnivorous taxa ( Sus s crofa and Potamochoerus sp.) from herbivorous ones ( Phacochoerus africanus and Hylochoerus meinertzhageni ) in terms of complexity. Heterogeneity likely distinguishes the suids displaying specialized diets (homogenous surfaces in the grazer Ph. africanus ) from the more generalized suids (heterogeneous surfaces in the omnivorous S. scrofa and Potamochoerus sp., and mixed feeder herbivorous H. meinertzhageni ). This study represents the first step toward a better comprehension of the diet and ecology of extant and fossil suids and also puts forward new hypotheses to be tested, especially on the effects of rootling behavior.

Normally, the Phyllostomidae bat community varies in number of individuals depending on food availability, which in turn varies with changes in annual rainfall. The aims of this study were to list species of Phyllostomidae bats in Curi ó Municipal Natural Park located in the municipality of Paracambi, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, and determine possible differences in species richness, abundance and composition between rainy and dry seasons. Sampling was carried out between September 2011 and August 2012 with the use of mist nets. The total sampling effort was 51,840 m 2 h, and 745 individuals of 18 bat species were caught. Myotis riparius (Vespertilionidae) was the only non-Phyllostomidae species caught. Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata were the most abundant species. The collector curve did not become stabilized, with 21 ± 2 phyllostomid species being estimated for the park. No significant difference in species richness or change in the community composition was found between seasons; however a higher number of individuals was captured in the rainy season. The occurrence of specie indicator of goodquality habitats ( Chrotopterus auritus , Micronycteris microtis and Trachops cirrhosus ) and species threatened with extinction ( Chiroderma doriae and Dermanura cinerea ) indicate that the park is an important forest remnant for the conservation of bats and needs to be monitored.

No recent attempt has been made to survey dhole distribution, or to estimate remaining population numbers. We surveyed 15 protected areas in Thailand with camera traps from 1996 to 2010. We used the photo locations of dholes (n = 96) in the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model along with six environmental variables to model current dhole distribution, as well as species predictive occurrence layers for sambar, red muntjac, wild boar, tiger, and leopard. The MaxEnt model identifi ed the predicted probability of the presence of leopards and sambar as positive and the most important variables in modeling dhole presence, indicating that maintaining a suffi cient prey base may be the most important factor determining continued survival of dholes. Roughly 7 % of the total land area in Thailand is potentially suitable for dholes. However, surveys to date have focused on protected areas, which make up just a third of the potential suitable areas for dholes. Only in four protected areas do they occur across the entire landscape, suggesting that in the majority of places where they occur, habitats are not uniformly suitable. Using the model, we identifi ed several potential areas where dholes have not been reported, and therefore status surveys are needed, and where future research of the species might be focused.