Effects of Background Color on Stress-Linked Behavior in the Critically Endangered Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes)
Ex situ amphibian populations are a key component of global amphibian conservation strategy, and optimal husbandry is vital to ex situ conservation success. Animal behavior can be used to inform captive welfare and improve husbandry practices. However, it has been little used for amphibians compared with mammals and birds. The goal of this study was […]
Baseline Behavioral Data and Behavioral Correlates of Disturbance for the Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes)
Animal behavior and welfare science can form the basis of zoo animal management. However, even basic behavioral data are lacking for the majority of amphibian species, and species-specific research is required to inform management. Our goal was to develop the first ethogram for the critically endangered frog Xenopus longipes through observation of a captive population […]
Recent Studies in Reptile and Amphibian Welfare: Some Relevant Publications for the Zoo Herpetologist
Animal welfare has become a major driving force behind the operations and management of accredited zoos and aquariums, with institutions across the globe committed to structured approaches to assessing and managing the wellbeing of animals in their care (Mellor et al. 2015). Although much of the focus on animal welfare in zoological parks historically has […]
Frog in the Well: A Review of the Scientific Literature for Evidence of Amphibian Sentience
Millions of amphibians are traded annually around the world for the exotic pet industry. Their experience during both trade, and in captivity as pets, leads to numerous animal welfare issues. The poor welfare of many pet amphibians is due in part to poor attitudes and acceptance of amphibian species to suffer. Amphibians, like other vertebrate […]
Investigating the Effect of Disturbance on Prey Consumption in Captive Congo Caecilians Herpele squalostoma
Maintaining Gymnophiona in captivity provides opportunities to study the behaviour and life-history of this poorly known Order, and to investigate and provide species-appropriate welfare guidelines, which are currently lacking. This study focuses on the terrestrial caecilian Herpele squalostoma to investigate its sensitivity to disturbances associated with routine husbandry needed for monitoring and maintaining adequate wellbeing […]
Posture as a Non-Invasive Indicator of Arousal in American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus)
Animal welfare has become a priority for modern zoos and aquariums. However, amphibians have not yet been the focus of much welfare research, perhaps in part because they do not tend to display many quantifiable active behaviors. This study focused on nine zoo-housed American toads (Anaxyrus americanus), a species that displays long periods of sedentary […]
Posture as a Non-Invasive Indicator of Arousal in American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus)
Animal welfare has become a priority for modern zoos and aquariums. However, amphibians have not yet been the focus of much welfare research, perhaps in part because they do not tend to display many quantifiable active behaviors. This study focused on nine zoo-housed American toads (Anaxyrus americanus), a species that displays long periods of sedentary […]
Facility design and associated services for the study of amphibians
The role of facilities and associated services for amphibians has recently undergone diversification. Amphibians traditionally used as research models adjust well to captivity and thrive with established husbandry techniques. However, it is now necessary to maintain hundreds of novel amphibian species in captive breeding, conservation research, and biomedical research programs. These diverse species have a […]
Deciphering Amphibian Declines
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Ghosts in Our Midst: Coming to Terms with Amphibian Extinctions
A global mass extinction of amphibians is well under way, driven both by habitat loss and by environmental changes. As amphibian communities in Central America are being decimated by chytrid disease, scientists are working to fashion an emergency response. They are also sending out an urgent warning about what the loss of these environmentally sensitive […]