The Impacts of a Commercial Bubble Curtain on Zoo-Housed African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) Swimming Behavior
Swimming is an important behavior for all penguin species. However, zoo-housed penguins typically do not swim as often as their wild counterparts, which may have consequences for their health and welfare. In an effort to increase the swimming time of the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) population at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL, USA (21 […]
Caring for the horse in a cold climate—Reviewing principles for thermoregulation and horse preferences
In the Nordic countries, permanent outdoor housing of horses in winter is gaining popularity. This practice will expose the horses to harsh weather conditions. However, horses that are kept indoors at night and turned out in the cold during daytime also experience thermoregulatory challenges. With emphasis on the special challenges in a Nordic climate, this […]
Mapping Shade Availability and Use in Zoo Environments: A Tool for Evaluating Thermal Comfort
For many species in zoos, particularly megafauna vulnerable to heat stress, shade is a key environmental resource. However, shade availability has received comparatively less attention than other aspects of the zoo environment. In this study, we share a simple low-cost approach that we applied to document shade availability across 33 zoo enclosures. We then combined […]
Scaling of body temperature in mammals and birds
1.We examine variation associated with phylogeny in the scaling of body temperature in endotherms, using data from 596 species of mammal and 490 species of bird. 2. Among higher groups of mammals there is statistically significant scaling of body temperature with mass in Marsupialia (positive), Ferae and Ungulata (both negative). In mammalian orders where data […]
Thermoregulation in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Four young adult elephant bulls aged 21-23 in the Letsatsing Game Reserve, a private reserve near Pilanesbury NP in South Africa, were the subjects of this study focused on body temperature. The elephant were trained to carry people were engaged in short term daily programmes for tourist or public education groups and normally spend the […]
Sensitivity and specificity of infrared thermography in detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows
The objectives of this experiment were to determine interrelationships among mastitis indicators and evaluate the subclinical mastitis detection ability of infrared thermography (IRT) in comparison with the California Mastitis Test (CMT). Somatic cell count (SCC), CMT, and udder skin surface temperature (USST) data were compiled from 62 Brown Swiss dairy cows (days in milk = […]
Thermal characteristics of wild and captive Micronesian kingfisher nesting habitats
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20010.abs To provide information for managing the captive population of endangered Guam Micronesian kingfishers (Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina), four biologically relevant thermal metrics were compared among captive facilities on the United States mainland and habitats used by wild Micronesian kingfishers on the island of Pohnpei (H. c. reichenbachii), Federated States of Micronesia. Additionally, aviaries where […]
Cool temperatures elicit reproduction in a biologically invasive predator, the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10084.abs Two different temperature regimes for eliciting reproduction in male and females of the Guam form of the brown treesnake were investigated. Males and females maintained at 24°C followed by a 60-day cool period at 19°C exhibited substantial reproductive activity, and the females that produced clutches did so during a brief period after return […]
Tooth loss rate from two captive sandtiger sharks (Carcharias taurus)
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:43.3.CO;2-4 For 6 months, two sandtiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) were held captive together in a small enclosure at the Lisbon Zoo. During that period, the gravel was monitored daily for teeth shed by the animals. At the end of their stay, the number of teeth divided by the number of days yielded a tooth […]