Diet composition of the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and badger (Meles meles) in Czech Republic

Diets of the raccoon dog and badger were studied in the Landscape Protected Area (LPA) Litovelské Pomoraví from 2000 to 2001 by collecting faeces from latrines during March – December every year. The relative volume and frequency occurrence of each food item in the feaces were calculated. Vertebrates and invertebrates constituted the bulk of the raccoon dog diet, while plants and invertebrates were most frequently eaten by the badger. Insecta and Rodentia were important to the raccoon dog, but it also consumed other food items. The raccoon dog was more omnivorous that the badger. Badger fed very frequently on plant material, raccoon dog, instead, frequently ate insects, especially beetles. In conclusion, the diet of the raccoon dog overlaps largely with that of badger, and some competition for food may occur between these species in the LPA Litovelské Pomoraví; however, their preferred food sources differ to some extent, which helps them to avoid competition.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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