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Patterns of antler consumption reveal osteophagia as a natural mineral resource in key periods for red deer (Cervus elaphus)

European Journal of Wildlife Research volume 63, Article number: 39 (2017) Cite this article

Abstract

Osteophagia is a common behaviour among ungulates. It has been considered as a mineral source for cervids, mainly related to phosphorus deficiency. In this study, we aimed to study the seasonality in antler consumption of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus) and to assess the differences among sex/age classes. In a game reserve located in South-Eastern Spain, antlers were offered to free-ranging animals, and their chewing behaviour was recorded with camera traps. Red deer was the species observed with greatest frequency (90.5%), and only red deer was observed chewing the offered antlers. Males showed greatest peak of consumption at the end of antler growth; females showed the greatest peak at the beginning of the lactation and calves after delivery of the newborn. All groups showed an important second peak of consumption in September. We conclude that osteophagia might have a role as a natural mineral supplement for red deer, but not for wild boar or foxes; and that each sex/age class uses this resource at different times according to differential needs in calcium and phosphorus, supporting the “seasonally increased requirements hypothesis”.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Carlos Cano for providing antlers of free-ranging males from the regional government game state “Zona de Caza Controlada Las Dehesas”, and for the permission for performing this study in the area. We are especially thankful to Francisco Jesús Pérez Ortíz, Jose Manuel Navarro and all the team of keepers of the state for their collaboration during the whole experiment. José Estévez, Martina Komárková and Jana Dubcová helped during data collection. This study was supported by the grant IGA-20172007 (Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech Republic) and PEII-2014-004-P (Consejería de Educación y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Science Techniques Applied to Wildlife Management Research Group, IREC Section Albacete (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Pablo Gambín, Andrés J. Garcia & Tomás Landete-Castillejos

  2. Sección de Recursos Cinegéticos y Ganaderos, IDR, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Pablo Gambín, Andrés J. Garcia & Tomás Landete-Castillejos

  3. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética, ETSIAM, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Pablo Gambín, Andrés J. Garcia, Tomás Landete-Castillejos & Laureano Gallego

  4. Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha, Czech Republic

    Francisco Ceacero

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  1. Pablo Gambín
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  2. Francisco Ceacero
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  3. Andrés J. Garcia
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  4. Tomás Landete-Castillejos
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  5. Laureano Gallego
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Correspondence to Francisco Ceacero.

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Gambín, P., Ceacero, F., Garcia, A.J. et al. Patterns of antler consumption reveal osteophagia as a natural mineral resource in key periods for red deer (Cervus elaphus). Eur J Wildl Res 63, 39 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1095-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1095-4

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