70 



The game taken by hunters provided residents of X-Hazil Sur with a substantial amount of 

 meat. The total body weight of the 584 animals was 2,700.1 kg (Table 3-1). Of this total, 95% was 

 from mammals and 5% was from birds. Three mammalian taxa combined, white-tailed deer ( 



Odocoileus virginianus [Cervidae]; 709.0 kg total weight, J = 29.5 kg), collared peccary (Tayassu 



tajacu [Tayassuidae]; 618.5 kg total weight, x = 15.5 kg), and coati (504.9 kg total weight, x = 3.0 



kg) provided 68% of the total weight. This meat was primarily consumed by the individual hunters and 

 their immediate families (ca. 400 people), but small quantities were also sold locally (see below). 



Sex of game species . Males and females were not taken in equal proportions. For all 

 mammals combined, significantly more females were taken than males (jc = 5.3150, d.f. = 1, P < 

 0.025; Table 3-2). However, for birds, more males were taken than females (x" = 11.8128. d.f. = 1, 

 P < 0.005). While mammals and birds were each dominated by a single taxon, the patterns these 

 higher taxa groupings exhibited were generally the same as those exhibited by individual species. 



The ratio of males to females taken varied between game species. For mammals, more 

 females were taken than males for seven of the eight taxa (Table 3-2). The mean sex ratio for all 

 mammals combined was 1:1.3:0.0 (males: females: unknown). For manunals, the greatest disparity 

 between males and females taken was for the white-tailed deer (1:3.8:0.0; x" = 8.1667, d.f. = 1, P < 

 0.005). The ratio of males to females taken also was significantly different for the agouti (1: 1.8:0. 1; 

 X^ = 2.9412, d.f. = 1, P < 0.10) and pocket gopher (1:1.7:0.1); x' = 3.7692, d.f. = 1, P < 0.10). 



For birds, more males were taken than females for three taxa, but the only significant 

 difference was for the plain chachalaca (1:0.6:0.1; x' = 11.7771, d.f. = 1, P < 0.005; Table 3-2). 

 The mean sex ratio for all birds combined was 1:0.6:0.1. This suggested that for the plain chachalaca 

 there was a significant difference in the harvest by sex, while there was no difference for the great 

 curassow. 



