Reproductive parameters of critically endangered European mink (Mustela lutreola) in captivity

•Litter size and cub survival were negatively correlated with maternal age.•Female body weight was positively correlated with litter size and increased over time.•Signs of a cost of reproduction were not found.•Beyond the effect of age and size, females did not differ in litter sizes. Founding capti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal reproduction science 2017-06, Vol.181, p.86-92
Main Authors: Kiik, Kairi, Maran, Tiit, Nemvalts, Kristel, Sandre, Siiri-Lii, Tammaru, Toomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Animal Husbandry
Animals
Animals, Zoo
Body Size
Endangered Species
Female
Male
Mink - physiology
Mustelidae
Oestrus
Reproduction - physiology
Reproductive ageing
Zoo
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Summary:•Litter size and cub survival were negatively correlated with maternal age.•Female body weight was positively correlated with litter size and increased over time.•Signs of a cost of reproduction were not found.•Beyond the effect of age and size, females did not differ in litter sizes. Founding captive populations is often the last chance for saving endangered species from extinction. Ensuring successful reproduction is typically most critical for the maintenance of captive populations, with purposeful selection of individuals for breeding being one of the crucial aspects. Comparable cross-species data on the determinants of reproduction success are most useful for solving problems in captive species programs. In the present study, we provide an overview of a 20-year captive breeding program of the critically endangered European mink. The mating season starts in March, reaching its peak in the middle of April. The average gestation length was 43.8days (mode 43), the mean litter size being 4.4 (mode 4). Litter size and cub survival were negatively correlated with maternal age but this effect was entirely due to the lower performance of the females over 4 years of age. Female body weight also showed a positive correlation with litter size, with the weight itself having increased by 10% during the 20- year period. We did not find any signs of a cost of reproduction: the number of litters the female had delivered earlier in her life did not have an effect on her litter size in the focal year. Beyond the effect of age and size, individual females did not differ in litter sizes. Consistently, we found the heritability of litter size to be low. We conclude that, when selecting females for breeding, there is little need to consider aspects other than genetic relatedness crucial for avoiding progressive inbreeding.
ISSN:0378-4320
1873-2232
DOI:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.03.019