Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: windskim on 07/06/2008 14:25:55

Title: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: windskim on 07/06/2008 14:25:55

Where do wild woodland animals such as deer, squirrels, rabbits and badgers get their salt from?

Title: Re: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: LeeE on 20/06/2008 16:37:27

In some cases it's provided by 'salt licks' which are naturally occuring concentrations of salt and which are often found in exposed rock.  These don't seem to be common enough to provide the salt for the majority of animals though.

Title: Re: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: rosalind dna on 21/06/2008 16:18:39

If the animals are carnivores then they get the salt from the meat as it is in the flesh naturally. Even in human bodies.

Title: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: Alan McDougall on 01/07/2008 09:00:20

Lee has given the answer but sometimes we have to make artificial salt licks such as in national parks in South Africa

Title: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 01/07/2008 10:56:23

All vegetation concentrates salts by uptake from the soil and evaporation from the leaves, so there is a lot of salt stored in vegetation. Grazing animals further concentrate it in the meat again by evaporation and predators concentrate it even more by eating the meat.

Title: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: Alan McDougall on 01/07/2008 10:59:03

AF

However our Elephant's need us to put salt brine out for them as we have interfered with nature

Title: Where do wild animals obtain their dietary salt requirements?
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 01/07/2008 13:42:30

Hi Alan yes I agree that in the case of an elephant it does require a huge amount of salt and travels great distances in order to harvest a familiar source. Some of these elephants carve out tunnels over thousands of years of harvesting salts, remeber seeing a documentary about this.
Parrots and other birds fly to harvest clay from banks to aid digestion and remove toxins from their stomaches.

Quote from: Alan McDougall on 01/07/2008 10:59:03

AF

However our Elephant's need us to put salt brine out for them as we have interfered with nature