Research Article

Concentration of minerals in the coat of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) of various color morphs and their crossbreds vs. hair strength properties

Ryszard Cholewa, Mirosław Mleczek, Dorota Kołodziejczyk, Stanisław Socha

¹Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland

²Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 13(4), 2014, 35‒44

Abstract. The aim of the study was to quantitatively establish the concentration of minerals in the coat of red foxes and an attempt to relate their composition with the resistance properties of single hairs of the coat. The analyses were carried out on 122 hair samples of red foxes of various color morphs and their crossbreds, collected from 61 live animals, from the middle of the back and from the right side of the body. The study took place during autumn and winter in a fox farm located in the Wielkopolskie voivodship, Poland. The animals were as follows: 11 silver femals, 7 females and 3 males of the platinum morph, 8 platinum-pastel males, 10 females and 4 males of the pastel morph, 3 cross females, and 11 females and 4 males of the fire morph. The samples were analyzed for Mg, K and Ca by atomic emission spectrometry (AES) and for Cd, Cu, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The concentration of minerals in the coat of the studied red foxes varied on the back and the side of the females and males. Most minerals in the coat of females was on both areas of the body in silver foxes, and the least – in the cross foxes. In males, more minerals were on both areas of the side of the platinum foxes compared to pastel and other color variants. Pastel foxes demonstrated the highers hair strength parameters among the color morphs.

Keywords: color morphs, minerals, pelage, red fox