Evaluating Environmental Enrichment Methods in Three Zoo-Housed Varanidae Lizard Species
Environmental enrichment has been shown to enhance the behavioural repertoire and reduce the occurrence of abnormal behaviours, particularly in zoo-housed mammals. However, evidence of its effectiveness in reptiles is lacking. Previously, it was believed that reptiles lacked the cognitive sophistication to benefit from enrichment provision, but studies have demonstrated instances of improved longevity, physical condition […]
Given the Cold Shoulder: A Review of the Scientific Literature for Evidence of Reptile Sentience
We searched a selection of the scientific literature to document evidence for, and explorations into reptile sentience. The intention of this review was to highlight; (1) to what extent reptile capability for emotions have been documented in the scientific literature; (2) to discuss the implications this evidence has for the trade in reptiles; and (3) […]
Behavior as a Tool for Welfare Improvement and Conservation Management in the Endangered Lizard (Gallotia bravoana)
The study assessed the behavior of Gallotia bravoana (La Gomera, Canary Islands, one of the world’s most threatened reptiles) to facilitate management decisions and improve welfare during initial stages of a species’ recovery plan. The study analyzed–and remote-controlled video cameras filmed-the behavior of lizards housed in 3 outdoor enclosures, from May to September 2000. Daily […]
Rapid solving of a problem apparatus by juvenile black-throated monitor lizards (Varanus albigularis albigularis)
It is widely accepted that providing stimulus enrichment is an important part of the development and maintenance of behavior and well being in mammals. However, extending this idea to non-avian reptiles has barely been explored, certainly as an aid to cognitive development. Monitor lizards have a reputation for being highly curious and intelligent lizards, but […]
Of tongues and noses: chemoreception in lizards and snakes
Lizards and snakes inhabit a world so richly textured in chemical information that, as primates, we can only imagine it. Subtle nuances of chemical shading underline nearly every fundamental activity of their lives, from finding foot to finding mates. Recent work examines the nature of these chemical messages, mechanisms for their perception, the interplay of […]
Comparison of chemosensory behavior and prey trail-following in the varanoid lizards Varanus gouldii and Heloderma suspectum
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1996)15:33.3.CO;2-C In the first of three experiments, Gould’s monitor lizards Varanus gouldii (n = 8) and Gila monsters Heloderma suspectum (n = 8) were tested to determine whether a postingestion elevation in tongue-flick rate (PETF) occurred. Based on analysis of numbers of tongue-flicks during 20 successive minutes following treatments and controls, significant PETF was […]
Sex differences in adrenal function in the lizard Cnemidophorus sexlineatus: II. Responses to acute stress in the laboratory
Circulating concentrations of plasma corticosterone and gonadal steroids were measured intact and gonadectomized male and female lizards (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) following acute stress (handling) in the laboratory. There was a significant increase in plasma corticosterone after stress. Whereas intact females exhibited greater concentrations of corticosterone relative to intact males, ovariectomized females exhibited lower concentrations of corticosterone […]
Plasma corticosterone levels in the male iguanid lizard Sceloporus cyanogenys under various physiological conditions
Variations in peripheral plasma corticosterone levels in male iguanid lizards, Sceloporus cyanogenys, were investigated under varying physiological conditions. Control baseline levels of the steroid in plasma were significantly decreased by hypophysectomy, adrenalectomy, hypothalamic lesions, and cyanoketone, an inhibitor of Δ5-3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Levels were increased following treatment with mammalian ACTH in both intact and hypophysectomized […]
Social status, gonadal state, and the adrenal stress response in the lizard, Anolis carolinensis
Adult males of the small arboreal iguanid lizard, Anolis carolinensis, form social dominance hierarchies when placed in habitats with limited resources. Skin color changes occur during hierarchy formation, most conspicuously in subordinates, who appear darker (more brown) than dominants (more green). Because skin color in this species is under the control of hormones frequently associated […]
Chronic low humidity-stress in the lizard Anolis carolinensis: changes in diurnal corticosterone rhythms
Plasma corticosterone levels of female lizards (Anolis carolinensis) were sampled at 4-h intervals before and after a photothermal regimen known to stimulate ovarian growth in January and February, respectively. Female A. carolinensis have a diurnal cycle in plasma corticosterone with a daily peak at 1700 h in lizards with unstimulated ovaries exposed to short photophase […]