Methods of body temperature assessment in Conolophus subcristatus , Conolophus pallidus (Galápagos land iguanas), and Amblyrhynchus cristatus X C. subcristatus hybrid

PeerJ

article

Carlos A. Valle¹  Colon J. Grijalva²  Paul P. Calle³  Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez²  Galo Quezada⁴  Carlos A. Vera⁴  Gregory A. Lewbart⁵ 

[1] Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Campus Cumbayá Av. Diego de Robles S/N e Interoceánica;Galápagos Science Center GSC;Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program;Technical Biodiversity Research;North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

关键词: Amblyrhynchus cristatus X C. subcristatus hybrid;    Conolophus subcristatus;    Conolophus pallidus;    Galápagos;    Land iguana;    Body temperature;    Infrared;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.6291

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Since cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems of reptiles are affected by temperature, accurate measurements are of great importance in both captive husbandry and research. Ectothermic animals generally have core body temperatures close to ambient temperature but can differ from the immediate environment if they are using sunlight to thermoregulate. Many zoological facilities and exotic pet caregivers have begun using infrared temperature guns to assess ambient temperatures of reptile enclosures but there are currently few studies assessing the efficacy of these devices for measuring the body temperatures of reptiles. Conolophus subcristatus, Conolophus pallidus (Galápagos land iguanas), and Amblyrhynchus cristatus X C. subcristatus hybrid are robust land iguanas endemic to the Galápagos archipelago. By comparing the infrared body temperature measurements of land iguanas against virtual simultaneous collection of cloacal temperatures obtained using a thermocouple thermometer, we sought to assess the efficacy of this non-invasive method. We found that internal body temperature can be predicted with a high level of accuracy from three external body temperature sites, providing a good non-invasive method that avoids the capture of animals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY