engleski

Body measurements and harvesting dynamics of the Fat Dormouse (Glis glis L.) in the mountainous part of Croatia

The paper discusses research results related to dormice hunting in three municipalities in Gorski Kotar between 1991 and 2001. The body mass, total body length, tail length and body length of dormice from two localities (Vrbovko and Gerovo) were compared. Data on the harvest show that harvest culminates almost every fourth year, but also that there are years without any harvest. In comparision with dormice from Gerovo, those from Vrbovsko exibit significantly higher values for all body parameters. The number of caught adult and juvenile dormice from the area of Vrbovsko shows a significantly stronger positive correlation with the days of hunting than the dormice caught in the area of Gerovo. Whereas juvenile dormice from Gerovo show a weak but positive correlation (r=0.30, p≤ 0.01) and adult dormice show a negative correlation (r=-0.31, p≤ 0.01) with the days of hunting. It means that the closer the hibernation period, the lower the body mass of caught adult dormice is. In the locality of Vrbovsko, the culmination in the number of juvenile dormice occurred on 26 October and of adult dormice on 17 October. The harvest of adult specimens from the area of Gerovo culminated on 14 October and of young animals on 23 September. Since the juvenile animals caught in the second part of September had an average mass of 96± ; ; 15 g and accounted for about 40% of the harvest, the beginning of the hunting season should be postponed from 16 September to 1 October.

Fat dormouse; harvest; body mass; total body length; body length; tail length

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