Mineral Lick - Overview

Overview

Many animals regularly visit mineral licks to consume clay, supplementing their diet with nutrients and minerals. Some animals require the minerals at these sites not for nutrition, but to ward off the effects of secondary compounds that are included in the arsenal of plant defences against herbivory. The mineral contents of these sites usually contain calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sodium (Na). Mineral lick sites play a critical role in the ecology and diversity of organisms that visit these sites, however, little is still understood about the dietary benefits. "The adjectives ‘mineral’ and ‘salt’ bear witness to the common proposition, in the ecological literature, that animals eat soil to satisfy a craving for nutrient minerals, resulting from inadequate forage...However, for wild animals which frequent licks, sodium (Na) is the only mineral identified so far, with strong evidence that an extra supply is indeed needed and sought in some cases." Nonetheless, many studies have identified other uses and nutritional benefits from other micronutrients that exist at these sites, including Selenium (Se), Cobalt (Co) and/or Molybdenum (Mo). In addition to the utilization of mineral licks, many animals suffer from traffic collisions as they gather to lick salts accumulated on road surfaces. Animals also consume dirt (geophagy) to obtain minerals, such as Canadian moose mining for minerals from the root wads of fallen trees.