Nutrition of the Collared Peccary in South Texas

Abstract

Effects of growth, reproduction, sex, age, season, and diet quality on collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) digestion and assimilation efficiencies, and on nutrient requirements of peccaries in south Texas are presented. Five metabolism trials were conducted with 10 collared peccaries fed either a concentrate diet or a forage diet representing the seasonal diet of free-living peccaries. Dry matter digestibility ranged from 49-72% for natural diets and was 84% for concentrate. Mean true digestibilities for energy, nitrogen, and phosphorus were 68, 46, and 70%, respectively, for natural diets and 89, 81, and 87%, respectively, for concentrate. Digestibility of the diet was directly related to nitrogen in the diet and the age of the animal and inversely related to consumption, gross energy, phosphorus, fiber, and ash in the diet. Mean true assimilation efficiencies for energy, nitrogen, and phosphorus were 64, 31, and 84%, respectively, for natural diets and 86, 58, and 84%, respectively, for concentrate. Maintenance requirements for adult, nonreproductive animals were 148.5 kcal/kg MBW/day of digestible energy (136.9 kcal/kg MBW/day of assimilated energy), 0.837 g/kg MBW/day of digestible nitrogen, and 0.844 g/kg MBW/day of digestible phosphorus. Daily energy requirements were directly related to growth and reproductive activity (increasing with duration of pregnancy and lactation) and inversely related to ambient temperature and age of animal. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 48(3):749-761 Information concerning the nutrient requirements of collared peccaries in Texas is sparse. Lindheimer pricklypear (Opuntia lindheimeri) is common in the diet (Jennings and Harris 1953), but the proportion in the diet varies seasonally (Low 1970, Everitt et al. 1981). Although digestibility of pricklypear for peccaries has been reported as 80% (Zervanos 1972, Shively 1979), the seasonal variation in diet digestibility is unknown. Zervanos (1972) determined that an average peccary in Arizona required 104 kcal/kg MBW/day in winter and 90 kcal/ kg MBW/day in summer. Similar estimates for peccaries in south Texas are not available. Information concerning the effects of physiological status of the animal and diet quality on consumption also is lacking. This paper describes and quantifies effects of growth, reproduction, sex, age, season, and diet quality on peccary digestion and assimilation efficiencies and on n trient requirements in south Texas. Support and funding for this research were provided by the Caesar Kleberg Res. Program in Wildl. Ecol., Dep. of Wildl. and Fish. Sci., Tex. A&M Univ. We thank t e staff of the Tex. Agric. Exp. Stn. at Uvalde for their assistance during this study, particularly L. H. Blankenship for advice on handling the animals. We also acknowledge the assistance of the staff of the Chaparosa Ranch, particularly P. O. Reardon, and the personnel of the Chaparral Wildl. Manage. Area, particularly C. E. Davis, for their cooperation and advice.