Rumen Ciliates of Ezo Deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) with the Morphological Comparison with those of Cattle

Abstract

The composition of rumen ciliate protozoa was surveyed in 13 Ezo deer, Cervus nippon yesoensis, inhabiting Hokkaido, Japan. As a result, two species of the genus Entodinium, E. simplex and E. dubardi, were detected. Each Ezo deer had only a single species of protozoa, E. simplex or E. dubardi. Since E. simplex in Ezo deer had a wide variation in body size and shape, its measurements were compared with those of E. simplex, E. nanellum and E. exiguum obtained from Holstein-Friesian cattle feeding in the same area. The ciliate density ranged widely from 3.1 to 5882.4×10³ with an average of 567.4×10³ per 1 ml of rumen fluid.