Data for: Wolf diet in the Notecka Forest, Western Poland

We assessed the diet composition of wolves inhabiting Notecka Forest (ca.
1,400 km2) in Western Poland based on the analysis of scats (n=261)
collected in 2008-2021. The study revealed that wolves in this large
forest tract, consisting mainly of pine monocultures, consumed primarily
wild ungulates (95.2% of consumed biomass). The roe deer was the essential
food item (47.8%), followed by the red deer (Cervus elaphus) (25.1%) and
the wild boar (Sus scrofa) (18.4%). Wolves supplemented their diet with
medium-sized wild mammals, mainly the European hare (Lepus europaeus)
(2.8%) and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) (1.9%). The food niche was
narrow (B=1.1), and there was no difference in food composition between
the spring-summer and autumn-winter seasons. We emphasize the significance
of the smallest European wild ruminant, roe deer, in the diet of wolves
inhabiting Central European Plains.