The diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africa

dc.contributor.authorJordaan, Rowan Keith
dc.contributor.authorSomers, Michael J.
dc.contributor.authorHall, Grant
dc.contributor.authorMcIntyre, Trevor
dc.date.accessioned2020-12-02T07:43:18Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractHuman-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.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_ZA
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_ZA
dc.description.embargo2021-05-12
dc.description.librarianhj2020en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Department of Science and Technology, through the National Research Foundation (South Africa).en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tafz20en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationRowan 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.issn1562-7020 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2224-073X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1080/15627020.2020.1741447
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/77235
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherNISC (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.subjectAfrican clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)en_ZA
dc.subjectSpotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)en_ZA
dc.subjectDamagesen_ZA
dc.subjectTrouten_ZA
dc.subjectStable isotopesen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth Africa (SA)en_ZA
dc.subjectFishery managementen_ZA
dc.subjectHuman-wildlife conflicten_ZA
dc.titleThe diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africaen_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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