Abstract
The study aimed at describing single cases of intersex occurring in roe deer in a form of secondary sexual characteristics, i.e. antlers, which is the feature immanent to males of that deer species. Four cases of roe deer females (Cepreolus capreolus) obtained in the Lublin province have been described. The bone growths forming pedicles and antlers have been found on frontal bones of the skulls of those roe deer females. All cases concerned older females with the carcass weight below average for that region. In the doe that developed typical antlers, these antlers were covered with velvet, i.e. the tissue characteristic of antlers in deer males during their growth. In the remaining cases, both growths and vestigial antlers were covered with typical hair coating. Evaluation of other sexual traits allowed to conclude that the studied cases should be classified as pseudohermaphroditism, i.e. alleged intersex. Despite the fact that intersex among game animals is not frequent, it should not be treated as completely exceptional, which has been confirmed by studied cases along with similar ones presented both in the Polish and other European literature references.
References
Dziedzic R., Flis M., 2007. Changeability during ontogenetic quality of male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L. 1758) from the Lublin Upland. Annales UMCS, Sec. EE, Zootechnica, 25(2),
17–25.
Flis M., 2007. Rzadkie trofeum. Łow. Pol. 6, 18–22.
Flis M., 2009a. Rogate kozy. Łow. Pol. 2, 100.
Flis M., 2009b. Zmiany masy tuszy saren na Wyżynie Lubelskiej w czasie sezonu polowań. Biotop. Uniwersytet Opolski, Opole. 85–95.
Flis M., 2010. Differentiation in individual quality of roe deer from field and forest hunting districts in the Lublin Upland. Rocz. Nauk. PTZ 6, 121–129.
Flis M., 2011. Individual quality of roe deer from filed and forest hunting districts in the West Polesie Region. Annales UMCS, Sec. EE, Zootechnica, 29(2), 11–19.
Jaczewski Z., 1981. Poroże jeleniowatych. PWRiL Warszawa, 11–178.
Kjellander P., Gaillard J.M. Hewison A.J.M., 2006. Density-dependent responses of fawn cohort body mass in two contrasting roe deer populations. Oecologia 146, 521–530.
Mysterud A., Østbye E., 1999. The frequency of antlered female and anterless male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in a population in south-east Norway. Zeitsch. Jagdwiss. 45, 208–211.
Pajares G., Balseiro A., Pérez-Pardal L., Gamarra J.A., Montragudo L.V., Goyache F., Royo L.J., 2009. Sry-negative XX true hermaphroditism in a roe deer. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 112, 190–197.
Pielowski Z., 1999. Sarna. Wydaw. Świat, Warszawa, 25–32.
Przybylski A., 2008. Klucz do oznaczania wieku jeleni, danieli, saren, muflonów i dzików. Zach. Por. Łow. 28–36.
Toïgo C., Gaillard J.M., Van Laere G., Hewison M., Morellet N., 2006. How does environmental variation influence body mass, body size, and body condition? Roe deer as a case study. Ecography 29, 301–308.
Wajdzik M., Kubacki T. 2011. Kozy z porożem, czyli przypadki obojnactwa u sarny. Brać Łow. 11, 98–99.
Wislocki G.B. 1954. Antlers in female deer, with a report of three casus in Odocoileus. J. Mammol. 35, 486–495.
Wislocki G.B., 1956. Further notes on antlers in female deer of the genus Odocoileus. J. Mammol. 37, 231–235.
Wislocki G.B., Aub J.C., Waldo C.M., 1947. The effects of gonadectomy and the administration of testosterone propionate on the growth of antlers in male and female deer. Endocrinology
40, 202–224.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
