Seasonal change in the food habits of the Iriomote cat <i>Felis iriomotensis</i>

Abstract

Abstract The food habits of the Iriomote cat Felis iriomotensis were studied by analyzing 177 feces collected monthly from 1987 to 1988. A total of 26 food items were identified. The frequency of lizards and frogs in the feces was higher than those of mammals and birds. The food habits changed greatly seasonally. Eumeces skinks were fed on most frequently, and found in the feces with a similar high frequency occurrence in March–April and July–September, while their proportion to the total number of food items was larger in March–April than in July–September. The cats fed on larg‐sized skinks, adult Eumeces kishinouyei , more in March–April than in other seasons. The number of skinks sighted in the course of a road census was greater from March to August, and large‐sized skinks were sighted more in March–April than in July–August. The cats fed selectively on large‐sized skinks in every season. Therefore, changes in the food habits depended on the food availability. Characteristics of food habits in the Iriomote cat are discussed in comparison with the food habits of other felids in temperate and tropical regions.