engleski

Some morphological parameters and density of the fat dormouse (Glis glis L.) hunted in the mountain area of Croatia

The fat dormouse occurs all over Croatia, but in some regions they are less well known than in others. That is exactly the reason of protecting this species North of the River Sava. South of the River Savas the fat dormouse is treated as a game animal and it can be hunted from 16th of September to 30th of November, but, today, it is hunted only in the area of Gorski Kotar and Lika where the dormice hunt is a centuries old tradition. Despite the fact that it is small, the fat dormouse has tasty meat, quality fur and fat that is used in tradicional medicine. Moreover, traditional dormice hunting in this region has lately become more important and there are more people who participate. The fat dormouse does not occur in the same number every year, but in peak years it causes great damage to forestry and agriculture. The real causes of its temporal variations are not yet known, but it is a known fact that hunting does not have a significant influence on its number. Our research shows the intensity of hunting over the last ten years, the mass, the body length and the length of the tail for the area of Gorski Kotar, including the areas with the biggest tradition of the dormice hunting, such as Gerovo, Tršće and Prezid. What is interesting is that within the range of spread of this species it is not known if there are any differences in popularity of the fat dormouse in Croatia, due to thea fact it lives in many different areas, from Panonian Mountains and hills to the Mediterranean area.

Glis glis L.; intensity of hunting; Gorski Kotar; morfological parameters

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