Trace elements accumulation and their variations with growth, sex and habitat: Effects on Formosan squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus)

Formosan squirrels are considered a useful bio-indicator because their habitat exists within that of humans. Therefore, concentrations of 19 trace elements were determined in tissues of this species for assessment of environmental pollution in urban Kamakura and rural Izuohshima. Results of analyses revealed high Cu concentrations in the livers of Formosan squirrels. Moreover, concentrations of some trace elements from automobile exhausts—V, Zn, Cu and As—in the specimens from Kamakura were higher than those from Izuohshima. These results reflect the presence of pollution caused by human activities in Kamakura.