Morphometric Variations in the Skull of the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in Bulgaria

A population craniometric analysis of the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) from Bulgaria was carried out using 19 linear skull and dental parameters. The analysis included 93 adult individuals (74 males and 19 females), originating from the main hunting economic areas in the country, i.e. Central Stara Planina Mountains, Strandzha-Sakar area, Ludogorie-Dobrudzha region and the Rila-Pirin region. The data confirmed a high degree of sexual dimorphism of the skull. The univariate and multivariate statistical assessment of the population skull features in the Bulgarian red deer, performed separately by gender, demonstrated craniological similarity among the specimens of the same sex. It was more pronounced in females. The estimated similarity of the craniometric features in the males of the four Bulgarian populations to the craniometrically determined subspecies Cervus elaphus pannoniensis and Cervus elaphus hippelaphus showed that the Bulgarian red deer is craniometrically closer to C. e. pannoniensis than to C. е. hippelaphus.