Weight and body measurements of forest and field roe deer

Abstract

1982: Weight and body measurements of forest and field roe deer. Acta theriol., 27, 33: 479—488 [With 7 Tables] Comparison was made of biométrie parameters (body weight, body length, height at shoulder and length of hind food) in 546 roe deer, Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) from a forest population, and 789 roe deer from a field population, using variance analysis for cross classification by means of Bock's method. Statistically significant dif-ferences occurred only in respect of body weight and length. Body weight was found to exhibit greatest dynamics of growth between the 1st and 3rd year of life of the individuals in the case of both forest and field roe deer. Particularly great increase in body weight during this period (4.2 kg in bucks and 4.5 kg in does) was found in forest roe deer. In individuals from the field population this increase is smaller (2.5 kg in bucks and only 1,2 kg in does). Differences in body weight between forest and field roe deer are greatest in the youngest age classes, but are minimal in old individuals. Differences in body length between females and males are minimal in both populations, but field roe deer are significantly longer in the body than those living in the forest. There is a significant correlation between body weight and body length (r=0.70; a=0.01). Body weight is also correlated, but to a lesser degree, with length of the hind foot (r=0.51) and height at the shoulder (r=0.33). All these correlations are far greater in forest than in field roe deer, and in does than in bucks. [Dept. of Game Management (B.F.) and Dept. of Statistical Methods (J.B.), Academy of Agriculture, Wojska Polskiego 71d, 60-625 Poznań, Poland and Polish Hunting Association, Research Station, 62-055 Czem-piń, Poland (J.K.)].