Age specific fecundity, litter size, and sex ratio in the chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri)
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1997 |
Authors: |
Christopher J. Yahnke, Jakob Unger, Bridget Lohr, Dennis A. Meritt, Werner Heuschele |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Publisher: |
A Wiley Company, Inc., Wiley Subscription Services |
Keywords: |
captive breeding, chaco, reproductive biology, taguá |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1997)16:4<301::AID-ZOO2>3.3.CO;2-S Ten years of data on the reproductive biology of the Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) were analyzed to determine average litter size, sex ratio, timing of births, and individual and age-specific fecundity. Data were obtained from a captive herd of chacoan peccaries located in the western Paraguayan Chaco. Births peak in the austral spring months of September, October, and November, with fewer litters born during the dry season months of June, July, and August. The average litter size was 2.4 with a sex ratio of 56:44 (M:F). There was no significant difference in litter size among individual females or among females of different ages. Finally, there was some individual variation in the age at which sows produced their first litter, but no discernible variation among sows in the average time between litters. Zoo Biol 16:301–307, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.