Morphological variability of forestomach mucosal membrane in red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflon

The number and size of ruminal papillae, reticular cells and omasal laminae in free-living game deer (red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflon) were examined. Mucosal membrane (MM) specimens were collected from the forestomachs of hunted deer. These parameters were assessed as related to the grazing environment, sex and age of animals. The number and size of ruminal papillae corresponded the best to the feeding specialization of the respective deer species and affecting factors. In two areas under study, the number and size of the ruminal papillae were significantly higher during the growing season than during the winter period (P<0.05) in all four species. Only the papillae on the dorsal wall of the rumen did not respond to seasonal changes (P>0.05). Differences in the number and size of papillae between different deer and mouflon were not significant when compared to sex, or place of origin (P>0.05). The size of the reticular cells and number and size of omasal laminae differed between individual species, but the data were not statistically significant. The parameters assessed in this study corresponded to the dietary choices of each species. The most significant differences were found between roe deer and mouflon. The smallest differences were found between red deer and fallow deer where the ruminal papillae responded to changes in the quality of the food during the year.