Small mammals found in discarded bottles in alpine and pre-alpine areas of NW-Italy

Abstract

<strong>Abstract</strong> 189 bottles and 6 cans, containing the remains of 904 small mammals were collected in alpine and pre-alpine areas of Piedmont, Aosta Valley and Lombardy. The following taxa were recorded: <em>Sorex alpinus</em>, <em>Sorex araneus</em>, <em>Sorex minutus</em>, <em>Neomys fodiens</em>, <em>Crocidura leucodon</em>, <em>Crocidura suaveolens</em>, <em>Eliomys quercinus</em>, <em>Clethrionomys glareolus</em>, <em>Microtus arvalis</em>, <em>Microtus multiplex/subterraneus</em>, <em>Microtus savii</em>, <em>Chionomys nivalis</em>, <em>Apodemus</em> spp., <em>Mus domesticus</em>, <em>Soricidae</em> was the best represented family in the sample (73.5% of the specimens found), with a different occurrence of <em>Crocidurinae</em> and <em>Soricinae</em> in xerothermic and non-xerothermic areas.

Keywords

• Discarded bottles/cans
• Small mammals