Interspecific Aggressions between Crested Porcupines and Roe Deer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Behavioral interspecific interference species is well-documented only amongst carnivore mammals, whereas being rare for ungulates and rodents. We report data on interactions between roe deer and crested porcupine at feeding sites. Aggressions by crested porcupines toward roe deer, often through chasing and more rarely through biting and attacking, were noted in about 16% of observations. In the remaining 84% of observations, roe deer and porcupines feed within the same feeding site, without interacting. Aggressions occurred mostly in warm months, when interspecific competition for food between these species is suggested to be the highest. ABSTRACT: Despite being common amongst carnivore mammals, behavioral interference between wild herbivore species is poorly documented. Particularly, in temperate areas, where the ungulate guild is composed of a few species, and large-sized rodents are scarce, most cases of interspecific interactions involve at least one alien species. In this work, we report the first data on behavioral interactions between roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, and crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata. Aggressions by crested porcupines toward roe deer were observed in 34 out of 202 observations of both species feeding at the same site. In the other 168 observations, roe deer and porcupines shared the same feeding area, without any interaction. In 58% cases of interaction, porcupines chased and pushed roe deer away from feeding areas, and in several other cases, roe deer were bitten, or injured with quills. Aggressions by porcupines occurred mostly during warm months, when roe deer are mostly solitary and when competition for food between these species is suggested to be the highest, and against single female individuals.