First report of foraging behaviour on Pacific molecrabs (Emerita analoga) by dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) on the coast of Valdivia, Chile

Abstract

Domestic dogs are reported foraging on molecrabs Emerita analoga on Curiñanco beach, Valdivia, Chile. Preying on these crabs represents a potential health risk for the dogs, because E. analoga is the intermediate host of larvae of the acanthocephalan Profilicollis altmani, which uses shorebirds as definitive hosts, but also have been documented to parasitize marine and terrestrial mammals including humans. Finally, the dogs not only disrupt birds’ foraging, but now also compete for the same resource.