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| Okarma, H. | |
| The physical condition of red deer falling a prey to the wolf and lynx and harvested in the Carpathian mountains Poland | |
| 1984 Acta Theriologica (29): 283-290 | |
Examination was made of the condition of red deer killed by wolves and lynxes in the Bieszczady Mountains (Poland) over a period of 2 winters (1981-1982 and 1982-1983) or shot by hunters. The fat content in the bone marrow of the limbs was taken as a criterion of condition. Important differences were found in the age structure of red deer killed by wolves and lynxes. All the animals killed by the latter were fawns had been bitten to death in Feb. and March, whereas they formed 29% of the wolf's diet in Dec. and Jan., and 49% in Feb. and March. The average age of adult animals killed by wolves in those 2 parts of the winter season was similar and was, respectively, 4.8 and 4.4 yr. Hinds formed 61% of the adults killed, the remainder, 39%, being stags. The studies showed that the condition of animals killed by wolves and lynxes differed greatly. As many as 82% of the fawns killed by lynxes were weak animals with up to 20% of fat in the femoral bone marrow, whereas they formed only 33% of the wolf's diet, while physically strong fawns with fat content of 80-100% formed the same percentage. |
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