Native, exotic, and livestock prey: assessment of puma Puma concolor diet in South American temperate region

Abstract

Understanding the food habits of mammalian carnivores is crucial for the comprehension of the role of apex-predators in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The puma is currently the most widespread top predator and the carnivore most frequently involved in conflicts with humans in the Americas. We analyzed puma diet in the South American temperate region, a vast area largely modified by humans, to assess the importance of native prey with respect to livestock and exotic species. We reviewed 18 studies published between 1991 and 2020 to which we added 19 feces of puma from a rangeland area of central Argentina. “Undetermined small rodent,” plains vizcacha, European hare, and wild boar were the most frequent species in the small area of the Argentinean Espinal. In the southern temperate region, exotic (European hare and wild boar) and native species (guanaco and armadillos) were the most frequent wild prey species, while sheep was the most frequent livestock followed by cattle. Exotic species had a greater frequency of occurrence than native and livestock species. Livestock frequency of occurrence was greater inside protected areas than outside. These findings reveal that, although the puma is considered in this large area as conflictive, wild prey (exotic and native) are its main food sources. Given the potentially crucial role exotic species can play in the ecosystem, understanding the role of pumas in controlling their populations is a challenge for future research.