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dc.contributor.authorDe Cuyper, Annelies
dc.contributor.authorClauss, Marcus
dc.contributor.authorLens, Luc
dc.contributor.authorStrubbe, Diederik
dc.contributor.authorZedrosser, Andreas
dc.contributor.authorSteyaert, Sam
dc.contributor.authorSaravia, Arturo Muñoz
dc.contributor.authorJanssens, Geert P.J.
dc.date.accessioned2022-09-01T09:18:52Z
dc.date.available2022-09-01T09:18:52Z
dc.date.created2021-08-18T09:40:07Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.identifier.citationDe Cuyper, A, Clauss, M, Lens, L, Strubbe, D., Zedrosser, A., Steyaert, S., Saravia A. M. & Janssens, G. P. J., (2021). Grading fecal consistency in an omnivorous carnivore, the brown bear: Abandoning the concept of uniform feces. Zoo Biology, 40(3), 182-191. doi:en_US
dc.identifier.issn1098-2361
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11250/3015062
dc.description.abstractGrading the fecal consistency of carnivores is a frequently used tool for monitoring gut health and overall digestion. Several fecal consistency grading systems are available for mainly felids and canids. No such system exists for the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758). We aim at extending current fecal consistency grading systems with a scoring system for brown bears. The system was set up during a diet study with nine individuals fed a variety of diets including beef meat, rabbit, fruit, and grass-fruit-pellet mix in an incomplete crossover design. One additional individual was included opportunistically and was fed the typical zoo diet (vegetable-fruit-meat-pellet diet). All feces from the collection period were photographed, graded by “handling the feces” and visually inspected for dietary components. Based on a total of 446 feces, a six-point scale for uniform fecal consistencies was established. In 11% of all feces, two distinct consistencies could be distinguished, a feature that appears in other carnivore species as well. Hence, an additional grading system for dual consistencies was developed. The fecal consistency of brown bears is heavily dependent on the diet items processed before defecation with the general observation that the more vegetation or whole prey, the firmer the feces, and at certain proportions of the latter, the higher the chance for dual fecal consistencies to occur. The results indicate that in bears, diet may have a strong effect on fecal consistency, hampering animal health assessments without prior knowledge of the diet.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.titleGrading fecal consistency in an omnivorous carnivore, the brown bear : Abandoning the concept of uniform fecesen_US
dc.title.alternativeGrading fecal consistency in an omnivorous carnivore, the brown bear: Abandoning the concept of uniform fecesen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.description.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.rights.holder© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLCen_US
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Zoofysiologi og komparativ fysiologi: 483en_US
dc.source.pagenumber182-191en_US
dc.source.volume40en_US
dc.source.journalZoo Biologyen_US
dc.source.issue3en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/zoo.21593
dc.identifier.cristin1926858


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