Food habits of sika deer on the Boso Peninsula, central Japan

The rumen contents of sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck) on the Bose Peninsula, central Japan, were analyzed to identify local, sexual and age-specific differences in food habits. Graminoids and woody plants were the primary foods throughout the year. In winter, the use of evergreen broad leaves increased. The food habits of sika deer on Bose Peninsula were intermediate between those of populations inhabiting northern and southern Japan. Acorns, mainly Lithocarpus edulis Nakai, were consumed in fall and winter with a peak in October. Since the availability of acorns is not influenced by foraging in previous years, it can be regarded as a stable food supply and hence may be important for deer on the Bose Peninsula. The local difference between the Amatsukominato (AT) area, having a large plantation of Lithocarpus producing acrons, and the Kamogawa-Katsuura (KK) area, having a small plantation of Lithocarpus, was recognized; seeds and fruit were consumed more in AT than in KK in fall and winter. Males consumed more seeds and fruit than females at both sites in fall. This can be attributed to sexual differences in nutritional requirement.