BEGIN QUOTE OF ARTICLE ABSTRACT

Lipids. 2008 Mar 12 [Epub ahead of print]
From Aquatic to Terrestrial Food Webs: Decrease of the Docosahexaenoic
Acid/Linoleic Acid Ratio.

Koussoroplis AM, Lemarchand C, Bec A, Desvilettes C, Amblard C,
Fournier C, Berny P, Bourdier G.

Laboratoire LMGE, UMR CNRS 6023, Equipe Reseaux Trophiques Aquatiques,
Universite Blaise Pascal, 24, Avenue des Landais, 63177, Aubiere,
France, [log in to unmask]

Fatty acid composition of the adipose tissue of six carnivorous
mammalian species (European otter Lutra lutra, American mink Mustela
vison, European Mink Mustela lutreola, European polecat Mustela
putorius, stone marten Martes foina and European wild cat Felis
silvestris) was studied. These species forage to differing degrees
in aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Fatty acid analysis revealed
significant differences in polyunsaturated fatty acid composition
between species. More specifically, our results underline a gradual
significant decrease in the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/linoleic acid
(LNA) ratio of carnivore species as their dependence on aquatic food
webs decreases. In conclusion, the use of the DHA/LNA ratio in long-
term studies is proposed as a potential proxy of changes in foraging
behaviour of semi-aquatic mammals.

PMID: 18335265 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

END QUOTE OF ARTICLE ABSTRACT

(Studies of European polecats in various regions have differed in
what is eaten and in what percentages, with the amounts also varying
by season. It would be interesting to see where and when the polecats
came from. Still, this looks like a useful approach to find when
observations may fail.)

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5913]