Abstract
We used fecal analysis to investigate the food habits of wintering sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) in relation to snow depth in western Hokkaido, Japan, during the winters of 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. The snow depth in the wintering area exceeded 100 cm for more than two months in both 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, and the maximum snow depth was 152 cm in January, 2008. In periods without snow cover, feces contained graminoids, Sasa senanensis, dicots, and many food plants. In snowfall periods, fecal contents were dominated by S. senanensis and arboreous plants (bark and twigs). When snow depth exceeded 100 cm in mid-winter, S. senanensis was unavailable because of snow cover, and arboreous plants dominated fecal contents. These results show that snow depth strongly influenced the food habits of sika deer in heavy snow areas. S. senanensis and arboreous plants were important food resources during winter, and deer depended on arboreous plants when snow covered S. senanensis.
