DETERMINATION OF FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF NUTRIA AND THEIR RANGE,
Abstract
The natural requirements of the nutria and the biological capacity of its territory were studied in 1961-1964 at the Akh-Ghel Lakes in Azerbaijan. The main food of the nutria during all seasons is reed parts (shoots, stem, rhizomes). Submerged plants such as holly-leaved naiad and fennel pondweed are supplementary elements in the diet. The daily requirement of an adult animal, determined under experimental conditions, varied between 0.7 and 2.0 kg, averaging 1.2 kg. Of the total mass of plants cut by the animal, 40-85% of the weight is waste. The optimal population density of the nutria was determined during the winter months when the animal subsists on reed shoots and rhizomes only. Observations and experiments carried out in nature indicated that a population density of two animals per hectare is optimal at the Akh-Ghel Lakes. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 02, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0688055
Entities
People
- V. V. Vinogradov
Organizations
- United States Army Foreign Science and Technology Center