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    Plasma Biochemistry Profiles Of Wild Western Tiger Snakes (Notechis Scutatus Occidentalis) Before and After Six Months of Captivity

    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Lettoof, Damian C.
    Aubret, Fabien
    Spilsbury, Francis
    Bateman, Bill
    Haberfield, J.
    Vos, J.
    Gagnon, Marthe Monique
    Date
    2021
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Lettoof, D.C. and Aubret, F. and Spilsbury, F. and Bateman, P.W. and Haberfield, J. and Vos, J. and Gagnon, M.M. 2021. Plasma Biochemistry Profiles Of Wild Western Tiger Snakes (Notechis Scutatus Occidentalis) Before and After Six Months of Captivity. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 57 (2): pp. 253-263.
    Source Title
    Journal of Wildlife Diseases
    DOI
    10.7589/JWD-D-20-00115
    ISSN
    0090-3558
    Faculty
    Faculty of Science and Engineering
    School
    School of Molecular and Life Sciences (MLS)
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/83565
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Urban wildlife often suffer poorer health than their counterparts living in more pristine environments due to exposure to anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation and environmental contamination. As a result, the health of urban versus nonurban snakes might be assessed by differences in their plasma biochemistries. We compared the plasma profiles of western tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus occidentalis) from a heavily urbanized wetland and a natural, nonurbanized wetland. Despite the urbanized snakes having lower body mass index, we found no significant difference between the plasma profiles of the two populations. We collected snakes from each population and kept them in captivity for 6 mo, providing them with stable conditions, uncontaminated (exempt from heavy metals and pesticides) food and water, and lowered parasite intensity in an attempt to promote better health through depuration. After captivity, snakes experienced a significant improvement in body mass index and significant changes in their plasma profiles. Snakes from the natural wetland initially had more variation of DNA damage; mean concentration of DNA damage in all snakes slightly decreased, but not significantly, after captivity. We present the plasma biochemistry profiles from western tiger snakes both before and after captivity and suggest a period of removal from natural stressors via captivity may offer a more reliable result of how plasma profiles of healthy animals might appear.

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