Compososition of liver, bone and bone-marrow of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) measured at two different seasons of the year

Abstract 1. 1. In spring and autumn groups of adult females and calves were slaughtered and samples from liver, bone and bone marrow were taken. 2. 2. The adult animals show a high ability to build up stores of vitamin A in liver during summer. Generally for all groups is a reduction in most of the analysed liver vitamins during winter. Big differences between calves and adults are, for the analysed vitamins, only seen for vitamin A and vitamin B 12 . 3. 3. The bone analyses show a reduction in calcium and phosphorus for fertile females during winter, while an increasing ash content is found for the calves. 4. 4. The bone marrow fat seems to be unchanged for the adults during winter. For the calves, however, the analyses show a 50% reduction of the bone marrow fat during the winter, measured as per cent of wet wt.