Body Condition and Blood Biochemistry of Free-Range Caiman latirostris in Northeast Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

The Atlantic Forest broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) inhabits regions within one of the world's most ecologically diverse ecosystems, yet few studies have explored the relationship between body condition, blood biochemistry, and environmental factors in the wild. Our study investigated the effects of sex, ontogeny, habitat, and environmental variables on the body condition and blood biochemistry of free-ranging caimans from the state of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil. From 2020 to 2022, we captured 75 caimans across three sites in different seasons.

Nutraceutical supplementation increases mobility in aged captive non-domesticated felids.

Background: Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) are an increasing issue as the lifespan of captive animals increases. Extracts of green-lipped mussels have been linked to alleviation of MSDs in domestic carnivores. Understanding their efficacy in non-domestic felids could provide another tool to improve the welfare of aged individuals in collections.

Neglecting the call of the wild: Captive frogs like the sound of their own voice.

Acoustic communication is highly influential in the expression of social behavior by anuran amphibians, transmitting information about the individual's physical condition and motivation. We studied the phonotactic (approach movements) responses of wild and captive male golden mantella frogs to conspecific wild and captive playback calls to determine the impact of captivity on social behaviour mediated by vocalisations. Calls were recorded from one wild and two captive populations.

The tonic immobility test: Do wild and captive golden mantella frogs (Mantella aurantiaca) have the same response?

Adaptations to captivity that reduce fitness are one of many reasons, which explain the low success rate of reintroductions. One way of testing this hypothesis is to compare an important behavioural response in captive and wild members of the same species. Thanatosis, is an anti-predator strategy that reduces the risk of death from predation, which is a common behavioral response in frogs.