 | Abstract 458Comparison of the diets of frugivorous forest ruminants of Gabon.Dubost,-G Lab. Ecologie Tropicale du CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Ecologie Generale, 4 Ave. Petit Chateau, 91800 Brunoy, France. Journal-ofMammalogy. 1984, 65: 2, 298-313; 36 ref. In animals killed between 1962 and 1978, fruits constituted the major part of the stomach contents (70-80% by weight) of 7 species of sympatric forest ruminants of northeastern Gabon; there were large individual variations in the proportions of ingested foods, but little interspecific or seasonal variation. The size of fruits ingested was directly proportional to body weight; nevertheless, for each size class of fruit, the quantity ingested reflected availability in the environment. It was concluded that because of the diversity of fruit species eaten (often 50 to 80 per ruminant species, and 4 to 9 per stomach), there is little overlap in diet among the ruminants. Species studied were Cephalophus monticola, C. leucogaster, C. nigrifrons, C. callipygus, C. dorsalis, C. sylvicultor and Hyemoschus aquaticus This abstract relates to the following species:
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