Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
Prey choice is the non-random foraging and consumption of prey species by their predators, and is therefore the basis for studies of topics as diverse as quantifying food webs, predator–prey relationships, and optimal-foraging models. Malaclemys terrapin (Diamond-back Terrapin) is a diet generalist with a large geographic distribution: the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to Texas. Individual terrapins have relatively small home ranges and feed primarily on local mollusc species. In feeding trials with 1 prey species and 2 prey species, wild-caught terrapins from New York readily consumed Mya arenaria (Soft-shelled Clam) and Geukensia demissa (Atlantic Ribbed Mussel), preferring them over a wide range of other prey species commonly eaten by terrapins at other sites. Our correlation test indicated that Ulva latuca (Sea Lettuce), common in the diets of this population, is ingested incidentally when terrapins forage for Soft-shelled Clams. The impact of consumption of algae by this primarily molluscivorous turtle is unexplored, but could have important impacts on their energy balance and contaminant intake.
DOI
10.1656/045.028.0412
Recommended Citation
Erazmus, K. R., Luiselli, L., & Burke, R. L. (2021). Salad with clams: Prey choice of an intentionally carnivorous turtle. Northeastern Naturalist, 28(4), 547–555. Doi: 10.1656/045.028.0412
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Comments
The publisher, Eagle Hill Institute reserves the copyright to all its publications. Any reproduction, other than for an individual's own personal and private use, or distribution of journal content is prohibited without written permission from Eagle Hill Institute.
Authors of articles published in the Northeastern Naturalist are allowed to post the pdf reprints of their articles on their own website or on the website or in the repository of their affiliated institution, as well as personally distribute copies to their colleagues, provided they do so along with a clear statement of the Institute's copyright policy as stated above.