1. Osteophagia of sea turtle bones by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Santa Rosa National Park, northwestern Costa Rica
- Author
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Brayan Morera, Víctor Montalvo, Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños, Juan C. Cruz-Díaz, Todd K. Fuller, and Eduardo Carrillo
- Subjects
Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Herbivores obtain nutrients mostly from the vegetation they consume, but may obtain additional minerals during periods of nutritional stress by consuming bones (osteophagia), a behavioral strategy that has been reported for many wild ungulate species, including the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Here we document multiple records (n = 183 camera-trap records) of osteophagia by white-tailed deer chewing sea turtle remains (resulting from jaguar [Panthera onca] predation) near a nesting beach in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica during January-September 2017. Females with fawns, males with hard and velvet-covered antlers, and non-spotted fawns reached a peak of sea turtle bone consumption during June to August. We hypothesize that seasonality, sex, age, and individual growth stage influence the frequency of osteophagy as a strategy to cope with environmental changes and food resource scarcity. Finally, these observations highlight the role of an apex predator as indirectly influencing rare but important ecological processes.
- Published
- 2022
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