Diets of Desert Cottontail on Prairie Dog Colonies in Western South Dakota

Abstract

Fecal pellets of desert cottontail (Sylvaligus audubonii) were collected during 1981 in May, June, July, August and September for dietary analysis to determine composition of forage plants. Four plants made up 70 percent of the total diet. Forage plants, in order of significance, were western wheat grass (Pascopyrum smithii), fescue (Festuca spp), squirretail (Sitanion hystrix), and plains muhly (Muhlenbergia cuspidata). The most common forb in diets was scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) and the shrub, plains pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha). Grasses in the diet ranged from 65 percent to 88 percent while forbs and shrubs ranged from 11 percent to 31 percent, 1 percent to 6 percent, respectively. Botanical composition in the plant community varied throughout the season.