Dietary composition was determined seasonally in males and females of Ctenomys mendocinus Philippi, 1869 from the Andean Piedmont (Mendoza, Argentina) during the reproductive and non-reproductive period. Reproductive condition and relative age of each animal was determined. Stomach contents were individually analyzed with the microhistological technique, Dietary generalism is supported by the high proportion of available genera eaten, but the intensity and continuity of use suggested specialization on grasses. Prédation risk induces minimization of the exposure time out of the burrow, and could justify the specialization in grasses, considering that other rodents showed lower harvest and handling times for grasses than for shrubs. Males had a more varied diet than females in winter, and the opposite occurred in spring. Since males have been found to dig longer burrow systems than females in winter, searching for mates might cause males to intersect a higher number of food items during that season. Higher energetic and nutritional requirements associated with pregnancy and nursing may lead to the inclusion of more food items in the spring diet of females, and their higher specialization on grasses. Dietary similarities between immature and mature individuals suggested that age did not affect selection of diet items. Seasonal variation in dietary diversity suggested a foraging strategy adaptive to environmental seasonal variations and to the subterranean life style.
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