American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) weight gain in captivity and implications for captive reptile body condition
The body condition of an animal is an indicator of health status and is dependent upon many factors, some of which can vary between wild and captive settings. Despite this, there have not been many studies on how captivity affects body condition relative to wild animal populations. This study explores the body condition of captive […]
Social structure and habitat design affect the impact of a novel feeding enrichment for alligators
Providing enrichment that expands the range of behavioral opportunities associated with food acquisition and environmental exploration is an important contributing factor to the well-being of zoo animals. These behaviors can be difficult to promote in carnivores, given their foraging strategies and the logistical, ethical, and financial challenges of providing live prey. In this study, we […]
Potential Impact of Construction Noise on Selected Zoo Animals
In anticipation of a major construction project in an urban New Zealand zoo, a study was initiated to assess the response to construction noise of selected animal species (elephant, giraffe, emu and alligator) previously observed to be sensitive to this kind of noise. The overall aim was to detect any signs of aversive responses to […]
Play Behavior in Crocodilians
Play behavior in crocodilians is not uncommon, but it remains virtually undescribed in scientific literature. I present the first overview of play behavior of three types (locomotor play, object play and social play) in crocodilians based on original observations, published reports and anecdotal evidence. Object play is the type most often reported; social play can […]
Effect of acute stress on plasma concentrations of sex and stress hormones in juvenile alligators living in control and contaminated lakes
Environmental contaminants can act as stressors, inducing elevated circulating concentrations of stress hormones such as corticosterone and cortisol. Development in contaminated eggs has been reported to modify circulating sex steroid hormone concentrations in alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). We examined plasma concentrations of testosterone (T), estradiol-17β (E2), and corticosterone (B) immediately upon and two hours after capture […]
Stress induced suppression of testosterone secretion in male alligators
In order to test the effect of acute stress on gonadal hormone secretion in reptiles, six mature male alligators were captured, and a blood sample was taken within 5 min of capture. Additional blood samples were taken at timed intervals for up to 41 hr, and plasma testosterone and corticosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. Plasma […]
Acute stress suppresses plasma estradiol levels in female alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)
1. Five adult, female alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) were captured at night during the breeding season, and a blood sample taken within 5 min of capture. 2. The alligators were physically restrained (tied to boards) and additional blood samples taken at 4, 8, 12, 16, 22, 28, 38, and 48 hr after capture. After the last […]
Stress and plasma corticosterone levels in the american alligator–relationships with stocking density and nesting success
1. Blood samples were taken from captive and wild adult alligators for evaluation of baseline plasma corticosterone levels. Adult male alligators were found to have significantly higher plasma corticosterone levels than adult female alligators in captive and wild populations. 2. Captive adult alligators maintained at high stocking densities had plasma corticosterone levels higher than those […]