title: Nitrogen requirements of white-lipped peccary (Mammalia, Tayassuidae).
abstract: A study was conducted to determine the protein requirement of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) performing a nitrogen (N) balance digestion trial. In a 4 × 4 Latin square design, four adult captive male peccaries were fed four isoenergetic diets containing four different levels of N (13.3, 19.2, 28.7, and 37.1 g N/kg dry matter). After 15 days of adaptation, the total collection of feces and urine was carried out for five consecutive days. By regression analysis between N intake and N in feces and urine, the metabolic fecal nitrogen (MFN = 3.1 g/kg of dry matter intake) and daily endogenous urinary N (EUN = 91.0 mg/kg(0.75) ) were determined. Likewise, by regression analyses between consumption of nitrogen and the nitrogen balance [NBN consumed-(fecal N + Urine N)] we estimated the daily requirement of 336.5 mgN/kg(0.75) . Therefore, if food intake is unrestricted, white-lipped peccaries require a minimum content in their diet of about 4.5% crude protein as percentage of dry diet. These values are similar to those found in frugivorous wild ruminants, which reinforces the proposition that peccaries have a digestive physiology nearer to that of ruminants than of domestic pigs. Furthermore, the low nutritional maintenance requirements for white-lipped peccary may explain how this species thrive in the Neo-tropical region eating predominantly palm-fruits that normally have low crude protein contents.
authors: Laboratório de Nutrição de Animais Neo-tropicais, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil.
authors: Sérgio L G
authors: SL
authors: Nogueira-Filho
authors: Rogério M
authors: RM
authors: Borges
authors: Alcester
authors: A
authors: Mendes
authors: Carlos T S
authors: CT
authors: Dias
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: animal nutrition; balance trials; comparative physiology; endogenous urinary nitrogen; metabolic fecal nitrogen; wildlife feeding