Factors influencing the acquisition of rodent carrion
by vertebrate scavengers and decomposers
Travis L. DeVault, I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr., and Olin E. Rhodes, Jr.
Abstract: Vertebrate scavengers and decomposers compete
for animal carcasses in all temperate and tropical ecosystems. We examined
the influence of carcass size, forest type, and air temperature on the
fate of rodent carcasses at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, USA.
Three hundred rodent carcasses were placed at random locations in forested
habitats and scavengers were identified using remote photography. Seventeen
species of vertebrates removed 104 of 300 (35%) rodent carcasses over
a year. Raccoons (Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758)) and Virginia
opossums (Didelphis virginiana Kerr, 1792) scavenged most frequently.
For scavenged carcasses, the mean time to carcass removal was
2.58 days after placement. Carcass acquisition by scavengers and decomposers
was influenced moderately by forest type and carcass size, although ambient
air temperature considerably influenced the fate of carcasses. Vertebrates
re- moved fewer carcasses as temperatures increased: only 28 of 144 (19%)
carcasses were scavenged when temperatures exceeded 17°C. The temporal
pattern of carcass removal by vertebrates, however, did not vary with
temperature. Consistent rates of carcass removal by vertebrates across
the year and increased activitY by insects during warm weather led to
elevated levels of decomposition during summer months. This study confirms
the complexity and dynamic nature of competitive relationships among scavengers
and decomposers.
SREL Reprint #2739
DeVault, T. L., I. L. Brisbin, Jr. and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2004. Factors influencing the acquisition of rodent carrion by vertebrate scavengers and decomposers. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82:502-509.
