2026/01/10 by Irene Belardi, G. Massei, Lorenzo Lazzeri +2 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jzo.70088
openalex created_date 2026/01/10 · openalex publication_date 2026/01/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract Broad‐spectrum diet is one of the key factors that has facilitated wild boar Sus scrofa spreading worldwide. Wild boar is also the main prey of the wolf Canis lupus , which is rapidly recolonizing large areas of its former range in Europe. Complex dynamics may develop between these two species due to carcasses of wolf prey constituting a resource available to scavengers like the wild boar. We considered the trophic relationships between these species and evaluated changes in the use of ungulate carcasses by the wild boar before vs. after wolf spontaneous recolonization in a Mediterranean coastal area. Based on the analysis of 2487 wild boar fecal samples collected prior to wolf recolonization (1991–1994), and 1261 samples of feces collected in 2023, that is, after wolf recolonization, plant material, including fruits and other plant parts, composed more than 89% of the relative frequency of occurrence in the total diet in both periods. Regarding mammals, no hair of ungulates was detected in wild boar feces prior to wolf recolonization. Conversely, deer hair was found in 13 samples of 1261 collected in 2023. Wild boar bristles were never found in fecal pellets, thus not offering support for cannibalistic use of conspecifics. Wild boar hair occurred in 57% of the wolf scats collected in 2023, followed by 23% of fallow deer Dama dama and roe deer Capreolus capreolus combined. Our results on investigating wild boar diet reported a remarkably low use of deer in our study area, in contrast with other sites. Scavenging activity may have been limited by fast carcass depletion by predators, abundant in our study area, as well as by a high perceived predation risk and/or by the low availability of deer compared to wild boar as prey for wolves. Our results highlight the complexity of wolf–wild boar interactions, emphasizing the context‐dependent nature of wild boar scavenging behavior.