DIURNAL FEEDING BEHAVIOUR OF CRAB-EATING RACCOON UPON A PARADOXAL FROG, WITH A REVIEW OF ITS DIET

Abstract

The crab-eating raccoon is considered one of the less studied Neotropical carnivores, once its nocturnal and inconspicuous habit difficult observations about its behavior. This species is considered a frugivorous-omnivorous species, with opportunistic habits, feeding since fruits and invertebrates to other mammals and lizards. Herein, we provide a new report of predation by crab-eating raccoon upon a paradoxal frog (Pseudis platensis) and presenting a detailed literature review about its diet. We compiled a total of 14 papers published from 1986 to 2019, which eight studies were used to characterize the diet of P. cancrivorus. The diet of P. cancrivorus was constituted by 96 animals’ taxa and 35 vegetal taxa. Our record of predation upon a frog reinforces the known generalist and opportunistic diet of P. cancrivorus, besides it is the first evidence of cathemerality for the crab-eating raccoon in Pantanal and the first report of predation upon P. platensis by a mammal.

Keywords

• Cathemerality
• Pantanal
• Procyon cancrivorus
• Pseudis platensis
• trophic ecology