Amroun M., Bensidhoum M., Delattre P., Gaubert Philippe. (2014). Feeding habits of the common genet (Genetta genetta) in the area of Djurdjura, north of Algeria. Mammalia, 78 (1), p. 35-43. ISSN 0025-1461.
Titre du document
Feeding habits of the common genet (Genetta genetta) in the area of Djurdjura, north of Algeria
Amroun M., Bensidhoum M., Delattre P., Gaubert Philippe
Source
Mammalia, 2014,
78 (1), p. 35-43 ISSN 0025-1461
The purpose of our study was to characterize the diet of the common genet Genetta genetta in the Djurdjura Mts., north of Algeria. Through a year-round survey, we collected 360 feces and identified 1970 items. Arthropods (33%) and mammals (25%) were dominant, followed by wild birds and plants. The wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (65% within mammals) and Coleoptera (66% within arthropods) were dominant throughout the seasons. We observed striking seasonal variations in the common genet's diet, with arthropods peaking in summer, mammals and wild birds dominating in winter, and energetic plants more consumed in autumn. Our study underlined the opportunistic feeding habits of the common genet with high values of trophic indices throughout the seasons, and the species' capacity to adjust its food spectrum on seasonal resource availability. Our results confirmed that the common genet has an intermediate diet between generalist and specialist, feeding on a wide spectrum of items but relying on the wood mouse as the main energetic source. The diet of the species in Djurdjura Mts. included a great proportion of arthropods, thus, reflecting the "Mediterraneity" of the feeding spectrum of the common genet in northern Algeria.
