| Virginia
Journal of Science.
2006. Vol 57 (3) : 115-121 |
| Year-round
Diet of the Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys
palustris, in Virginia Tidal Marshes Robert K. Rose and Shannon Wright McGurk, Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529-0266 ABSTRACT
The marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris, is the
dominant semi-aquatic rodent living in tidal marshes of the Virginia
coastal plain. Described as highly carnivorous, this
species is known to consume a range of animal foods, including
crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and arthropods, as well as some plant
foods. Analysis of stomach contents from rice rats collected from
Eastern Shore tidal marshes throughout an annual cycle revealed that
all 103 stomachs contained dicots, 82 percent had monocots, 61 percent
had crabs and insects, and 38 percent had snails.
Thirty-eight percent of stomachs contained foods in all five
categories, no stomach was empty or contained fish, and 84 percent of
stomachs had amounts of hair, probably ingested during
self-grooming. In sum, Virginia rice rats are carnivorous
but consume greater amounts of plant foods compared to populations that
have been studied in Georgia and Louisiana. |