The diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africa
dc.contributor.author | Jordaan, Rowan Keith | |
dc.contributor.author | Somers, Michael J. | |
dc.contributor.author | Hall, Grant | |
dc.contributor.author | McIntyre, Trevor | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-12-02T07:43:18Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
dc.description.abstract | Human-wildlife conflict is likely to increase as urbanisation increases. African clawless otters, Aonyx capensis, and spotted-necked otters, Hydrictis maculicollis, are illegally persecuted for their perceived role in reducing trout in artificially stocked habitats in South Africa. The diet of African clawless otters has been investigated, but little is known about the diet of spotted-necked otters in these habitats. Using stable isotope techniques, we investigated the diet of spotted-necked otters occupying habitats artificially stocked with trout. Stable isotope analyses revealed that the diet of spotted-necked otters included equal proportions of crab and trout followed by frog. Diet was found to vary between, as well as within, individuals suggesting individual dietary plasticity. Temporal variation in foraging areas was evident for some otters. These results suggest that individual animals specialise on trout when available. However, this was not consistent between individuals. The resulting conflict with freshwater fisheries may, therefore, be primarily due to individual animals adapting to diets consisting largely of farmed trout. The extent of spotted-necked otter influence on stocked trout, however, needs further investigation. | en_ZA |
dc.description.department | Mammal Research Institute | en_ZA |
dc.description.department | Zoology and Entomology | en_ZA |
dc.description.embargo | 2021-05-12 | |
dc.description.librarian | hj2020 | en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship | The Department of Science and Technology, through the National Research Foundation (South Africa). | en_ZA |
dc.description.uri | https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tafz20 | en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation | Rowan K Jordaan , Michael J Somers , Grant Hall & Trevor McIntyre (2020)The diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africa, African Zoology, 55:2, 141-148, DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2020.1741447. | en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn | 1562-7020 (print) | |
dc.identifier.issn | 2224-073X (online) | |
dc.identifier.other | 10.1080/15627020.2020.1741447 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/77235 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
dc.publisher | NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor and Francis Group) | en_ZA |
dc.rights | © Zoological Society of Southern Africa. This is an electronic version of an article published in African Zoology, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 141-148, 2020. doi : 10.1080/15627020.2020.1741447. African Zoology is available online at : https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tafz20. | en_ZA |
dc.subject | African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis) | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Damages | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Trout | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Stable isotopes | en_ZA |
dc.subject | South Africa (SA) | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Fishery management | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Human-wildlife conflict | en_ZA |
dc.title | The diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africa | en_ZA |
dc.type | Postprint Article | en_ZA |