Notes on the diet of the carnivorous mammals of the Upper Henty River Region, western Tasmania

Abstract

All four of Tasmania's large mammalian carnivores (Sarcophilus harrisii, Dasyurus maculatus, D. viverrinus, Felis catus) occur in the Upper Henty River region~ in western Tasmania. A short-term study was undertaken to compare the diet of these species when in sympatry. No data were obtained for D. maculatus. The other species overlapped in their use of small mammals. However each species had a major component of the diet (S. harrisii, large mammals; D. viverrinus, invertebrates and plant material; F. catus,birds)which was not utilized by the other species and hence substantial competition between them is unlikely. The diet reported others for D. maculatus is similar to that found for F. catus. These two species had similar habit preferences and hence it is possible that competition could occur between the native D. maculatus and the introduced F. catus.