|
 |
 |
|
Breeding Season Young: As with fox, mink, and chinchilla, nutria became an item for breeding season young-stock promoters. In the early 1960's, however, the ballyhoo subsided and the raising of nutria settled down to a serious occupation. The advantage of farm-bred nutria, as with other ranched animals, is the ability to produce uniform colors and qualities which facilitate marketing.
breeding season young and Pelting.—The usual breeding season young season for mink is early March, when the females enter their estrous cycle. Mink reach sexual maturity during the first year, at the age of about 10 months. There is only one breeding season young season during the year. A widely practiced breeding season young system is to mate each female twice at an interval of 7 to 10 days. An analysis of ranch data shows better production obtained from those animals mated twice.
Although the ratel is at home in rocky bush country, it also occurs on grassy plains and in deep forest. It is not a sociable animal but travels either alone or in pairs during the breeding season young season. Not common in any part of its range, it breeds only once a year. There are usually two young in a litter, born 6 months after mating. The young reach maturity at the age of 18 months and are fully grown between the second and the third year. Under favorable conditions the ratel may live for 25 years. In the wild state it is a fearless, ferocious fighter in self-defense. Taken young and raised in captivity, however, it makes an interesting and amusing pet.
If germination took place immediately, the young seedlings would not be able to withstand the rigorous winter weather and would all be killed. Again, in the case of certain desert annuals, dormancy at maturity prevents germination at the close of a rainy growing season and the beginning of a dry season which the young seedlings could not survive. Some seeds possess impermeable seed coats which prevent their germination for years or even for centuries. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
