Effect of tannic acid on iron absorption in straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20258.abs Excessive absorption and subsequent storage of dietary iron has been found in a variety of captively held birds and mammals, including fruit bats. It is thought that feeding a diet that is low in iron can prevent the onset of this disease; however, manufacturing a diet with commonly available foodstuffs that contains a […]
The effect of food quality and relative abundance on food choice in fallow deer
The diet choice of large herbivores is influenced by the presence of nutrients and toxins in available plants. It is generally assumed that herbivores ingest food that contains higher amounts of nutrients and lower amounts of toxins than the average of the food available. We studied the effects of quality and relative abundance on food […]
Tannins and Self-Medication: Implications for Sustainable Parasite Control in Herbivores
Animals adapt to the variability of the external environment and to their changing internal needs not only by generating homeostatic physiological responses, but also by operating in the external environment. In this study, we determined whether sheep with a gastrointestinal parasite infection increased intake of a low-quality food containing a natural antiparasitic agent (tannins) relative […]