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Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis data for sequentially sampled whiskers of caracals (Caracal caracal) on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa

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Mar 21, 2025 version files 63.95 KB

Abstract

Urbanisation critically alters the availability of resources and the nature of risks for wildlife. Despite these challenges, carnivores frequently persist in and around urban environments, where novel opportunities, such as anthropogenic food, may outweigh associated ecological risks. Here, we investigate the responses of an urban adapter to novel resources, using stable isotope analysis of vibrissae (whiskers) to understand the spatiotemporal foraging patterns of caracals on the fringes of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Caracals (Caracal caracal) are medium-sized felids and the largest remaining predators on the Cape Peninsula. Using isotopic niche metrics and home range estimates we assess the comparative effects of demographics, seasonality and urbanisation on variation in individual foraging behaviour from GPS-collar monitored caracals (n=28) across an urban gradient. Despite a wide isotopic niche at the population level, we observed high levels of individual specialisation. Adult and male niches were wider likely due to larger home ranges, which facilitates exploitation of diverse prey across trophic levels. Patterns in δ13C were seasonal, with increases during the warmer, drier summer months across the Peninsula irrespective of habitat use. Taken together with niche contraction for caracals in urban areas, our findings suggest higher individual reliance on anthropogenic resources in summer. Caracals using areas dominated by wildland cover had higher δ15N values and larger niches than those using urban-dominated areas. Across the study area, δ15N values varied spatially, with increased enrichment in caracals using more coastal and wetland areas and consuming more marine and wetland-adapted prey, particularly in winter. Individual foraging flexibility in caracal is clearly a key strategy for their success in this rapidly transforming landscape. Understanding spatiotemporal shifts in dietary niche and trophic ecology in adaptable urban carnivores, like the Cape Peninsula caracals, is fundamental for understanding the ecological needs of wildlife in and around rapidly growing cities.