Winter changes in fatty acid composition of badger and coyote tissues

Influence of Dietary Fat Source on the Body Fat Composition of Mink (Mustela vison) and Blue Fox (Alopex lagopus)

“…A close correlation between the increase in fat unsaturation and low body temperature has, however, been found in pigs (McGrath et al, 1968) and children (MacDonald, 1961). The number of double bonds in the bone marrow fat of the badger has been found to alternate seasonally (Harlow & Varnell, 1980). In the same study, no seasonal variation was observed in the coyote.…”

“…Fatty acid composition also shows seasonal variation. In the badger, the number of double bonds in bone marrow fat has been found t o increase towards winter (Harlow & Varnell, 1980).…”

Fatty Acid Regiodistribution Analysis of Divergent Animal Triacylglycerol Samples – A Possible Approach for Species Differentiation

“…It is well known in mammals that from within polyenoic fatty acids (mainly from the diet), the incorporation of n‐6 acids into adipose tissue TAG is dominant. It is rather interesting that badgers, having high subcutaneous fat unsaturation (Harlow and Varnell 1980), incorporated n‐3 and n‐6 moieties to similar extents in the TAGs, meanwhile having the highest polyenoic fatty acid levels.…”

“…It is well known in mammals that from within polyenoic fatty acids (mainly from the diet), the incorporation of n-6 acids into adipose tissue TAG is dominant. It is rather interesting that badgers, having high subcutaneous fat unsaturation (Harlow and Varnell 1980), incorporated n-3 and n-6 moieties to similar extents in the TAGs, meanwhile having the highest polyenoic fatty acid levels. Besides the high unsaturation in all species except ruminants, rabbits had a very high proportion of polyenoic fatty acids, which was supported by our earlier findings in rabbit intramuscular TAG (Szabó et al 2005b).…”

Stable isotopes in adipose tissue fatty acids as indicators of diet in arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus)

“…Observations on free-ranging American badger (Taxidea taxus) and coyote ( Canis latrans; Harlow & Varnell, 1980), mongooses (Reidinger et al 1985), mink (Mustela vison) and arctic fox (Rouvinen & Kiiskinen, 1989) that are wild-caught but kept in captivity for short periods, and on zoo-bred polar bears indicate that diet determines the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue triacylglycerols in Carnivora at least as well as in any other single-stomached mammals. Small carnivores seem to retain fatty acids derived from fish oils particularly efficiently (Rouvinen et al 1993).…”