Differences in Relative Volume and Weight of Forestomachs Among Four Free Living Ruminants

Kamler J., J. Dvofiak, K. Kamlerova: Differences in Relative Volume and Weight of Stomach Among Four Free Living Ruminants. Acta Vet. Brno 2003, 72: 33-39. The aim of this study was to estimate similarities in relative volume and weight of stomachs of free-living red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and moufflon to evaluate their feeding strategy and probability of their interspecific competition for food sources. Studied parameters were evaluated according to season, sex, age and locality. From 1995 to 1998, 176 adult (> 1 year) shot animals were examined in total. In all of the four studied species, rumen was larger in vegetation period than in winter (p < 0.01). The greatest differences between seasons were found in rumen volume (15-20% on average). Differences in the volume and weight of reticulum, omasum and abomasum were smaller or not significant. The roe deer females had a higher relative volume (by 40%) and weight (by 55%) of total stomach (p < 0.005) compared to males. Age of animals had no influence on size of reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The older animals had greater total stomach size. Rumen size of animals from different altitudes was the same (p < 0.05). The biggest relative size of total stomach and rumen was in moufflon (grazer), the smallest in roe deer (browser); fallow and red deer (both intermediate feeders) did not differ significantly. The differences between species are in agreement with their feeding strategy. Seasonal differences in rumen size correspond to the changes of their diet.

• Publication year

  2003

• Venue

  Acta Veterinaria Brno

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Agricultural and Food Sciences, Biology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.2754/AVB200372010033
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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