The Diets of the Large Rock-Rat, Zyzomys Woodwardi, and the Common Rock-Rat, Z. Argurus (Rodentia: Muridae).

Abstract

The diets of Zyzomys woodwardi from two habitat types and Z, argurus from one of them were investigated by microanalysis of faecal samples which were collected over a 12-month period. Forty-three species of food plants were identified. Differences were found in the diets of Z. woodwardi from the two habitat types, according to the different food plants available; the two species living sympatrically shared 52% of plant species identified. Both species ate a wide range of seed sizes, according to what was available seasonally. Hard-shelled seeds remained on the ground as a ready food store for much of the year but grasses were utilized only in the dry season, as they rotted or germinated during the wet. The technique used produced fragments that were identifiable, when the reference collection was sufficiently extensive, but was not suitable for detailed quantitative comparisons and was extremely time-consuming.