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Correlations Between Elements in the Fur of Wild Animals

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Abstract

There is little data on the elemental composition of wild animals fur. In the paper, an attempt has been made to evaluate the concentration of elements in the fur of roe deer, wild boar and hare. The contents of following elements: calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), aluminium (Al), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry method. Their content was in the range 0.01 (Cd) to 1,519 (Ca) μg/g. Correlations between the content of Mn, Al, Ca, Pb, Cr, Ni in the fur of animals, liver and muscle tissues were found. Thus it can be assumed that the fur of wild animals can provide an information on the bioavailability of elements and environmental exposure and can be considered as an useful biomarker in animals and environmental studies, although research on this subject should be continued.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, Gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2 Str., 00-908, Warsaw, Poland

    Maria Długaszek & Krzysztof Kopczyński

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  1. Maria Długaszek
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  2. Krzysztof Kopczyński
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Correspondence to Maria Długaszek.

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Długaszek, M., Kopczyński, K. Correlations Between Elements in the Fur of Wild Animals. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 93, 25–30 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1260-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1260-3

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