Evaluating the environmental factors influences on body mass of wild ungulates obtained in Lublin region

The study aimed at evaluating the influence of environmental conditions on hunting animals' body mass (red deer Cervus elaphus, roe deer Capreolus capreolus, and wild boar Sus scrofa) obtained from within RDLP in Lublin. The paper includes correlation coefficients between the mean body mass of analyzed specimens and selected environmental factors such as: agricultural production space index, forest coverage, length of forest borders, percentage of main forest habitat types, thickness and time of snow cover presence. The obtained results indicated that the presence of dense forests and high percentage of coniferous forests affected the increased mean body mass of deer. The body mass of wild ungulates depends on environmental circumstances that make animals possible to survive winters in best conditions. A long time of snow cover presence had a negative impact on deer mean body mass in the Lublin region.