Hematological parameters and morphological characteristics of blood cells in turtle and tortoise species within captivity in Sri Lanka.

Objective: This study was conducted to determine hematological reference ranges and morphological characteristics blood cells in healthy captive Sri Lankan fresh water turtle and tortoise species.

Materials And Methods: Following turtle species, namely, ( = 06), ( = 06), and ( = 06) and a tortoise species ( = 06) were evaluated. Blood smears were stained using Leishman-Gram staining protocol. The differential white blood cell counts and morphology were assessed using the standard protocols.

Results: Both red blood cells and their nuclei were irregular in , whereas had oval-shaped and the nuclei were irregular in shape. and had oval-shaped red blood cells and their nuclei were round in shape. In terms of differential counts, heterophils were the most abundant leukocyte type in all the species. had the highest heterophils value of 55% and the lowest value of 48.5% was recorded with . Lymphocytes count was significantly high in . Characteristic morphological features were observed in different leukocytes. In terms of thrombocytes, and had single platelets, whereas and had platelets as clumps. Thrombocytes are ellipsoidal with centrally located dark-stained nuclei and their cytoplasm is clear.

Conclusion: The findings in this study can be used as the reference values in the assessment of health of the above species and also will be useful in future hematological studies related to these species.