Feral cat diet and predation on endangered endemic mammals on a biodiversity hot spot (Amami–Ohshima Island, Japan)
Kazumi Shionosaki A D , Fumio Yamada B , Takuya Ishikawa C and Shozo Shibata A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
B Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), 1 Matsunosato Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan.
C Office for Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas, Ministry of the Environment, 1-2-2 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8975, Japan.
D Corresponding author. Email: shionosaki.kazumi.62a@st.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Wildlife Research 42(4) 343-352 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR14161
Submitted: 12 June 2014 Accepted: 5 June 2015 Published: 24 August 2015
Abstract
Context: There has been concern that feral cats have negative impacts on the endangered endemic mammals of Amami-Ohshima Island, Japan, including the Amami rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi, Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat, Diplothrix legata, and Amami spiny rat, Tokudaia osimensis. However, no diet study of feral cat has been conducted to support the necessity of an urgent feasible feral-cat management for the island.
Aims: The aims of the present study were to analyse feral-cat diet on Amami-Ohshima Island by using scat analysis and estimate the potential predation impact of feral cats on endangered mammals on the island.
Methods: The diet of feral cats was studied using scat analysis. We estimated the number of prey, percentage of prey, frequency of occurrence (the percentage of scats in a sample containing a particular prey item), percentage of biomass (biomass of the same prey item divided by the total consumed biomass ×100) and daily consumed biomass (DCB).
Key results: Three endangered endemic mammals were the main prey species of the feral cat diet (65% of total DCB). The percentage contributions of these species on DCB were long-tailed giant rat (34.7%), Amami spiny rat (21.9%) and Amami rabbit (12%).
Conclusions: Mammals, especially endangered endemic mammals, were main prey species of feral cat on Amami Island. In Amami Island, where native and invasive rodents coexisted, feral cats consumed more native (56.6%) than invasive (22.2% for Rattus rattus) species.
Implications: Feral cats are likely to be having a significant impact on endangered endemic mammals on the island. To ensure the long-term survival of these endemic species, active management of the feral-cat population should be considered.
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