Estimating Food Intake by Captive Emus, Dromaius Novaehollandiae, by Means of Sodium-22 Turnover.

Abstract

The rate of 22Na turnover was measured in 4 captive emus each fed on 3 diets. There was a close relationship between 22Na turnover and the intake of dietary sodium (r = 0.92), DM (r = 0.93), gross energy and metabolizable energy (r = 0.94). DM intake, estimated from 22Na turnover, accounted for 89% of the variation in actual DM intake, and suggested that 22Na turnover could provide a reliable method for estimating food consumption by populations of free-living emus. However, estimates of food consumed by individual animals may not be reliable.