We studied the diet of the badger through scat analysis and used seven previously described methods to assess their comparability. Methods compared included those based on frequencies of occurrence of different food items and volumetric methods. Our results showed that, depending on the basic methodological procedure, we could classify methods in two groups: frequencies of appearance and volumetric methods. The depiction of the diet obtained is quite similar within these groups but differs between them, as each group depicts different aspects of the trophic ecology of the badger. In conclusion, we advise the use of more than one method when assessing the diets of badgers or other carnivores. The best option is the use of a frequency-based method combined with one or two volumetric methods.
Diet composition of the golden jackal (Canis aureus, L.) in Bulgaria, where the largest jackal population in Europe occurs, has been studied by scat analysis in a typical and newly occupied agricultural environment. The study was carried out during late summer and early autumn, a period when small mammal density is high. The food of the jackal typically consisted of small-sized and wild-living prey species. Rodents have been found to represent the primary food of the jackal (biomass estimation: 59.3 %, mainly Microtus spp.), and the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus, 20.1 %) and plants (19.7 %, mainly fruits) are secondary foods. Other prey, such as birds (mainly passerines), reptiles and invertebrates had been consumed in a low biomass ratio. No remains of wild ungulate and domestic animals have been detected in the studied scats.