VMD 512: Zoo/Wild Animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

CLASSIFICATION OF WILD ANIMALS BASED ON FEEDING BEHAVIOR 

Herbivores

• They constitutethe wide spectrum of different species of wild animals with anatomical adaptations comprising of symbiotic microbial population of bacteria, protozoa etc.
• The feed resources to these animals have in general low nutritional values but are bulky in nature.
• Among herbivores, the ones with complex stomach (ruminants) are the most efficient ones and the roughages and forages are most efficiently utilized by the species. Microbial fermentation is the mode of digestion in these species.
• Example: Gaur,deer, giraffe, antelopes like blackbuck, buffaloe etc.
• Pregastric fermenters are also available as wild fauna like kangaroo, wild pig,hippopotamus etc. Similarly, hind gut fermenters like rabbits, guinea pigs,capybara (cecal fermentation) and zebra and wild asses (colon fermentation) arealso existing under captive conditions.
• Cecotrophs arethe ones that are produced in the morning and are the soft materials that areoften consumed directly from the anal region. Animals like rabbit and haresproduce these soft fecal pellets that have high protein, fiber and watercontents with increased amounts of vitamin B complex.
• It is noteworthy to note that the bulk eaters like elephants or rhinos have poor digestive efficiency but meet their nutritional requirements by consumption of high levels of feed intake and fast rate of food transit without digesting fiber.(as the case with giant panda)