Food habits of sympatric Coyotes, Canis latrans, Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, and Bobcats, Lynx rufus, in Maine

Abstract

Maine during 1979-1983. Snowshoe Hare {Lepus americanus) was a major food of all three predators. White-tailed Deer {Odocoileus virginianus) was commonly eaten by Coyotes and Bobcats in winter, and use of deer corresponded with winter severity. Mice {Peromyscus spp. and Napaeozapus insignis), voles {Clethrionomys gapperi and Microtus pennsylvanicus), and shrews {Blarina brevicauda and Sorex spp.) were more common in fox scats than in those of Coyotes and Bobcats. During summer, fruits were common in Coyote and fox scats and absent from Bobcat scats. The prevalence of hare in all three diets suggests that inter-specific competition might occur, especially when hares are scarce. Such competition is likely to be most severe for Bobcats, because they showed the greatest reliance on a single food (hares).