Report of conspecific pup consumption by the crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora, Canidae)

In the Canidae family, cases of infanticide have been recorded in populations of dingoes, wolves and red foxes. The consumption of individuals from the same species has not been recorded yet for the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), a medium-sized South American canid with generalist eating habits; however, in a semi-arid region in north-eastern Brazil, two C. thous faecal samples were found in August and October 2018 with fur and fragments of paws from young individuals of this species. Cases of offspring consumption have also been reported in other carnivore species from semi-arid regions, and it is a phenomenon that might be related to the scarcity of resources and a mechanism for obtaining food. Competition for resources is also hypothesized to explain these natural events in nature, as the death of a pup results in greater access to resources for the parent and its offspring. Thus, infanticide can increase the chances of survival of the mother or the other pups.