A note on the diet of stone marten in southeastern Romania

Abstract

We studied the diet of stone martens Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777) inhabiting the ruins of Byzantine temple near Enisala (southeastern Romania). Based on analysis of 103 excrements, birds and mammmals predominated in the diet, constituting 45.2% and 36.1% of consumed biomass. Reptiles, amphibians, insects and fruits were supplementary food. We also found bats, items rarely reported in the marten's diet. The diet was characterized by a high contribution of animals associated with steppe habitat and by a low share of anthropogenic food.