Data from: Adaptability of large carnivores to changing anthropogenic food sources: diet change of spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) during Christian fasting period in northern Ethiopia

Many large carnivores readily use anthropogenic food sources, which often leads to conflict. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) around the regional capital Mekelle, northern Ethiopia, feed on waste and to a lesser degree on livestock, but not on natural prey. We investigated the impact on their diet of the 55 day fasting period prescribed by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, during which the vast majority of people do not consume animal products. We collected spotted hyena scats before, during and after the fasting period and compared hairs from scat with hairs from a reference collection. We found a significant difference in species composition; donkey and cattle occurrence increased significantly during fasting compared to the non-fasting diet dominated by scavenged remains of goat and sheep. We infer that spotted hyenas opportunistically change their diet from scavenging on waste before and after fasting to predation on larger livestock species that are kept outside at night during fasting. Our findings confirm that spotted hyena are highly adaptable and opportunistic predators.

许多大型食肉动物会主动利用人为食物来源，这往往会引发人兽冲突。埃塞俄比亚北部区域首府默克莱（Mekelle）周边的斑点鬣狗（Crocuta crocuta）种群以废弃物为主要食物来源，仅少量取食家畜，且从不捕食天然猎物。本研究针对埃塞俄比亚正统台瓦西多教会规定的55天斋戒期展开调查——该时段内绝大多数民众均不食用动物制品，旨在明确该斋戒期对斑点鬣狗食谱的影响。研究人员在斋戒期前、斋戒期间及斋戒期后收集了斑点鬣狗的粪样，并将粪样中的毛发与参考毛发馆藏的样本进行比对。结果显示，斑点鬣狗的食谱物种组成存在显著差异：相较于非斋戒期以捡拾山羊和绵羊的腐尸为主的食谱，斋戒期内驴和牛的出现频次显著提升。据此推断，斑点鬣狗会采取机会主义策略调整食谱：斋戒期前后以捡拾废弃物为食，而斋戒期间则捕食夜间被留在户外的大型家畜。本研究结果证实，斑点鬣狗是适应性极强且极具机会主义习性的捕食者。