Abstract
To analyze the seasonal variation in the diet of the Japanese sable Martes zibellina brachyura, 193 feces and 20 stomachs, collected in eastern Hokkaido from 1998 to 2002, were examined. The Japanese sable proved to be omnivorous, taking various food items including mammals, insects, plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and crustaceans. Mammals were the commonest food items throughout the year, with voles Clethrionomys spp. (frequency of occurrence 56.5%), Siberian chipmunks Tamias sibiricus (19.3%) and wood mice Apodemus spp. (14.6%), most often found in feces. Insects appeared mainly in summer (48.8%) and less often in other seasons (9.3% on average). Plant materials, chiefly fruits, were found mainly in autumn (45.7%) and winter (68.4%) but were rare in spring (5.1%) and summer (1.3%). These results suggest that the Japanese sable depends mainly on mammalian prey, but also takes other food items, probably to compensate for fluctuations in mammal abundance. Maintaining natural habitats, which provide various food resources, is thus important for conservation of the Japanese sable.
