Carrion consumption by the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)
James A. Fitzsimons
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
The Nature Conservancy, Suite 2-01, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Vic. 3053, Australia and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia. Email: jfitzsimons@tnc.org
Australian Mammalogy 39(1) 105-107 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM16017
Submitted: 21 April 2016 Accepted: 17 June 2016 Published: 15 July 2016
Abstract
Macropodids are predominantly herbivores and their dentition reflects their foraging strategy. The swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) is considered to be a generalist browser, consuming a wide diversity of plants, from forbs, shrubs, grasses and sedges. However, there is some evidence that swamp wallabies are opportunists. Here, I document the consumption of the wing of a dead seabird by a swamp wallaby, the first detailed case of this species consuming carrion, and discuss other records of animal consumption in the Macropodiformes.
Additional keywords: carnivory, diet, herbivory.
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