SMALL RUMINANTS - DIGESTIVE CAPACITY DIFFERENCES AMONG 4 SPECIES WEIGHING LESS-THAN 20 KG

Small ruminants are generally classified as either browsers or frugivo res. We compared intake and digestion in one browsing species, the pud u (Pudu pudu), body weight 9 kg, and three frugivorous species, the re d brocket (Mazama americana), 20 kg, the bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsa lis), 12 kg, and Maxwell's duiker (C. maxwellii), 9 kg. Rations compri sed: a commercial grain and alfalfa pellet, a small amount of vegetabl es, and mixed hay. Across species, neutral-detergent fiber (insoluble fiber) consumed averaged 34.2 +/- 2.6% of dry matter (DM) while the cr ude protein consumed averaged 16.1 +/- 0.5% DM. Apparent DM digestion was similar in pudu (75.2 +/- 4.7%), brocket (73.2 +/- 1.1%), and Maxw ell's duikers (73.0 +/- 2.8%), and significantly lower (P = 0.0167) in bay duikers (67.1 +/- 4.3%). There were significant differences among species in digestibilities of neutral-detergent fiber, hemicellulose, and cellulose, but they did not follow body size differences, since l arger species were expected to show higher digestion coefficients for fiber compared to smaller species. The type of fiber fed may have infl uenced these results. Frugivores may be adapted to a diet of soluble f ibers, as might be found in wild fruits, instead of the insoluble fibe rs in the diet fed. Passage trials were conducted on the two smallest species. The mean transit time for pudu was 29.9 +/- 0.8 hr, and for t he Maxwell's duiker was 42.2 +/- 6.4 hr. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.