abstract |
Stone martens (Martes foina L.) are among the largest wild predators found in large cities of Ukraine and in the old buildings of central Lviv that we studied. Some information about their distribution in different parts of the city exists for different periods, including publications of the 20th and 21st century. However, there are few recently published data on the number, distribution, mortality, behaviour, and diet of animals for Lviv. Due to its crepuscular and nocturnal activity, as well as the ability to move not only by land, but also by tree crowns, stone martens remain almost unnoticed to the inhabitants of the city. In the terrestrial environment, at dusk or at night, they can be confused with cats. The faeces of martens often also have a similar appearance to that of felines. The publication provides a detailed analysis of the diet of stone martens in the central part of Lviv, in the territory of the Botanical Garden of the Ukrainian National Forestry University. Based on 111 units of faecal samples that were collected in the attic of the educational building, it was determined that animal remains occur with a frequency of 58.56%. These are bones, feathers, and remains of invertebrates. The remains of birds that were consumed by the animals in the attic were also found. In total, 16 plant species were identified in the samples. It was established that animals willingly feed on berry yew, grapes, dogwood, and cherries. The trophic analysis refers to different years and seasons, as the faeces in the attic accumulated for many years in a row. Seasonal feeding behaviour was studied from 37 samples of fresh faeces collected in September and October 2025. During this period, the animals willingly ate yew berries and grapes. For the first time for Lviv, with the help of camera traps, it was established that stone martens willingly eat cat dry food, actively move on the roof of the university’s educational building and inside the attic. Two adults of the stone marten were observed during this period. According to the characteristic faecal marks with inclusions of plant remains, land migration routes on the adjacent streets to the place of our research at 1 Olga Kobylyankska Street were determined. Marten lairs were found in the attic, in the material used for insulation of the building. |
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