Stomach contents of 19 species of small mammals from Swaziland

Abstract

The stomach contents of 14 species of Rodentia and five species of Insectivora are reported from Swaziland. The importance of different food types in the diet of these species was estimated using two methods. The results of the frequency of occurrence method closely mirror those of the proportional contribution method. The rodents exhibited a wide range of diets, Otomys species were strictly herbivorous, while only three species (Mus minutoides, Tatera leucogaster and Dendromus mystacalis) were observed to have high proportions of all food types in their stomachs. All other rodents fed on green plant matter and seeds, in varying proportions. Shrews were predominantly insectivorous.

S. Arr. J. Zool. 1997,32(1)