Ja. Jenks et al., VARIATION IN GASTROINTESTINAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MALE AND FEMALE WHITE-TAILED DEER - IMPLICATIONS FOR RESOURCE PARTITIONING, Journal of mammalogy, 75(4), 1994, pp. 1045-1053
We assessed variation in intestinal lengths and gut capacity of white-
tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that differences
in morphology of males and females could have important implications
relative to intersexual variation in patterns of habitat use and forag
e acquisition. Deer were collected from study areas in McCurtain Co.,
Oklahoma, and Howard and Pike counties, Arkansas. Populations of white
-tailed deer in McCurtain and Howard counties were in poorer nutrition
al condition than deer in Pike Co. possibly because of competitive int
eractions with cattle stocked on study areas in McCurtain and Howard c
ounties. Lactating females had longer gastrointestinal tracts and more
digesta within their rumens and intestines than did males in summer a
nd winter. Lactating females also had longer intestinal tracts and mor
e digesta in rumens and intestines than did pregnant females during wi
nter. Nonpregnant females in winter were primarily fawns with low body
mass, but did not differ from adult females or males relative to gast
rointestinal characteristics. Females collected from Pike Co. in winte
r had less digesta in rumens and intestines than did other populations
. Additionally, deer collected from Pike Co. in winter had proportiona
tely less digesta in rumens and more digesta in intestines than other
populations. Our findings indicated that sexual segregation of populat
ions of white-tailed deer in summer results from females attempting to
maintain maximum volume of digesta in gastrointestinal tracts; winter
segregation might be influenced by dietary selection.