Comparison of Digestive Organ Size of Three Deer Species

The sizes of stomach compartments relative to total body weight and carcass weight were compared among roe (Capreolus capreolus), red (Cervus elaphus), and fallow deer (Cervus dama) collected in Hungary. The relative rumen-reticulum tissue weight as a percentage of body weight was similar for all three species. As the body size of the species increased, the relative weight of omasal tissue increased, and abomasum tissue decreased. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 39(3):621-624 Capacities of the different stomach compartments of the digestive tract have important implications in the nutrition of ruminant animals. The rumen capacity in relation to body weight influences the retention time of food in the rumen. Animals with a smaller rumen must have a higher turnover rate to secure their nutrient needs, whereas animals with a large rumen can retain ingesta for a longer time and consequently digest more fiber (Hungate 1966: 414). The food habits of ruminant animals are influenced to some degree by rumen capacity. Animals with a small rumen must select forage lower in fiber and higher in digestibility than animals with a large rumen in order to satisfy energy needs. The relationships of rumen contents weight and rumen volume to total body weight have been reported for sheep by Purser and Moir (1966), for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) by Short et al. (1965), and for white-tailed deer (0. virginianus) by Short et al. (1969). The purpose of this paper is to report the size of the various organs of the digestive tract in relation to animal weight for three species of wild European ruminants: roe, fallow, and red deer. This research was made possible through a cooperative agreement between the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Thanks are extended for the cooperation, helpful suggestions, and actual work contributed by L. Bencze, A. Bleier, K. Boroczky, T. Fodor, J. Hopp, G. Nagy, L. Sugar, S. Toth, and many other Hungarian game managers who helped throughout the study. Special thanks are due to the two daughters of the senior author who helped prepare the materials for study.