Document Details Document Type : Article In Journal  Document Title : Food preferences and tooth wear in the sand gazelle (Gazella marica) Food preferences and tooth wear in the sand gazelle (Gazella marica)   Document Language : English  Abstract : Food preferences of the sand gazelle (Gazella marica) from the Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area in Saudi Arabia were evaluated using focal animal sampling in conjunction with an eco-morphological method examining two parameters of tooth wear, i.e., occlusal relief and cusp shape. Observations of live, free-ranging animals (n = 53) showed that sand gazelles generally consumed more grass (58.4%) than browse (41.6%). However, during the dry season, gazelles spent significantly more time browsing (51.0%) and less time grazing (49.0%) than under wet conditions (browsing: 17.6%; grazing: 82.4%). Thus, consistent with predictions, sand gazelles are intermediate feeders but shift towards browsing when grass is scarce. The mesowear signature of the sand gazelle is consistent with a grazing signal in other ruminants. In other words, the browse component of the diets of live animals was not reflected in the tooth wear. This could have occurred because browse is less abrasive than grass, but more likely because all food types are heavily abrasive in this dusty habitat. We conclude that the sand gazelle population in Mahazat as-Sayd encounters a highly abrasive diet, which has implications for their ability to meet nutritional demands. (C) 2012 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde.  ISSN : 1616-5047  Journal Name : MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY  Volume : 78  Issue Number : 1  Publishing Year : 1434 AH 2013 AD  Article Type : Article  Added Date : Sunday, July 23, 2017  Researchers Researcher Name (Arabic) Researcher Name (English) Researcher Type Dr Grade Email Ellen Schulz Schulz, Ellen Researcher     Sven Fraas Fraas, Sven Researcher     Thomas Kaiser Kaiser, Thomas Researcher     Peter Cunningham Cunningham, Peter Researcher     Khairi Ismail Ismail, Khairi Researcher     Torsten Wronski Wronski, Torsten Researcher     Files File Name Type Description  42179.pdf pdf   Back To Researches Page