Food of the fox in the Canberra District

Abstract

The stomach contents of 267 foxes from the Canberra District and 111 foxes from other localities, mainly in southern New South Wales, were examined. In the two years covered by the survey an additional 31 stomachs, 7.6 % of the total number, were found to be completely empty. The staple foods of the fox were sheep, mainly as carrion, and rabbit. Invertebrates, mainly insects of great taxonomic diversity, made up a large proportion of the diet during the warmer months. Birds and cold-blooded vertebrates did not figure prominently in the diet of the fox. The fox is an opportunist predator and scavenger utilizing foods which are abundant and easily obtainable at any particular time.