THE DIET OF VARANUS GRISEUS IN THE SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN OF ISRAEL (REPTILIA: SAURIA)
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Fecal pellets were collected and analyzed microscopically during a two-year study of the desert monitor (Varanus griseus) in a sand-dune area south of Holon. V. griseus was found to be a predator-scavenger carnivore type, eating almost any animal of appropriate size. Although 92.2% of the fecal pellets contained invertebrates (mainly arthropods), the higher frequency of occurrence of the smaller species among the invertebrates is probably due to secondary predation. The main prey items included rodents (mostly gerbils, Gerbillus sp., and jirds, Meriones sp.), bird eggs (presumably chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar eggs), birds (mainly partridge chicks), skinks (Chalcides sp.), fringe-toed lizards (Acanthodactylus sp.), chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), elegant geckos (Stenodactylus sthenodactylus), tortoises (Testudo graeca) and snakes (including the venomous Vipera xanthina palaestinae). Less frequent were: hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus), leverets (Lepus europaeus), Sanis pygmy shrew (Suncus etruscus), green toad (Bufo viridis), jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) and others.
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THE DIET OF VARANUS GRISEUS IN THE SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN OF ISRAEL (REPTILIA: SAURIA)
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by M. STANNER in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by H. MENDELSSOHN in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Fecal pellets were collected and analyzed microscopically during a two-year study of the desert monitor (Varanus griseus) in a sand-dune area south of Holon. V. griseus was found to be a predator-scavenger carnivore type, eating almost any animal of appropriate size. Although 92.2% of the fecal pellets contained invertebrates (mainly arthropods), the higher frequency of occurrence of the smaller species among the invertebrates is probably due to secondary predation. The main prey items included rodents (mostly gerbils, Gerbillus sp., and jirds, Meriones sp.), bird eggs (presumably chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar eggs), birds (mainly partridge chicks), skinks (Chalcides sp.), fringe-toed lizards (Acanthodactylus sp.), chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), elegant geckos (Stenodactylus sthenodactylus), tortoises (Testudo graeca) and snakes (including the venomous Vipera xanthina palaestinae). Less frequent were: hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus), leverets (Lepus europaeus), Sanis pygmy shrew (Suncus etruscus), green toad (Bufo viridis), jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) and others.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 412 | 35 | 1 |
| Full Text Views | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 34 | 0 | 0 |
