Physiology and hematology of giant anteaters in captivity (Myrmecophaga tridactyla. Linnaeus, 1758), in Colombia

Authors

  • Xiomara Navarro Buitrago MVZ, Universidad de los Llanos
  • Ricardo Murillo Pacheco MVZ, Esp, MSc, Docente Universidad de los Llanos
  • Cesar Rojano Bolaño MVZ, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia. Proyecto de conservación del oso palmero. Fundación Cunaguaro. Yopal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22579/22484817.724

Keywords:

blood count, wildlife, blood chemistry, clinic

Abstract

The present study was conducted with 20 animals in captivity and retrospectively analyzed 120 medical records which contained the initial assessment of the animal and reports of paraclinical tests. The animals were chemically restricted using ketamine (12 mg/kg) + midazolam (0.2 mg/kg) and xylazine (0.1 mg/kg) in combination in the same syringe and applied intramuscularly; physiological constants, temperature using a mercury thermometer, and heart and respiratory frequencies were monitored with a 2M Littmann® stethoscope. The physiological constants, hematology and blood biochemistry were analyzed and compared with the reference values, which constitutes key information for the clinical assessment and health management of this species. Few works of this type are reported in wildlife in Colombia, and this is the first that establishes reference values for constant physiology and hematology in the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). For body temperature, an average of 33.26°C for males and 34.52°C for females was found; regarding the behavior by age, an average of 33,3 °C for neonates (n=17), 34.74°C for juveniles (n=12) and 34.52°C for adults (n=5) were found. The heart rate was 109 beats per minute (bpm) for males and 83.93 bpm for females, showing significant differences (P<0.05); for infants, an average of 99.14 bpm was found, for juveniles 110.1 bpm and for adults 83.06 bpm. The respiratory rate values measured as breaths per minute (rpm), found for males (36.96 rpm) and females (21.97 rpm) also showed significant differences (P<0.05). The hematological variables measured by age group did not show differences (P>0.05), and on the contrary when considering the sex of the individuals, highly significant differences (P<0.01) were observed in the majority of hematological variables. The blood biochemistry values for the group of palm bears studied could not be compared according to age and sex, due to the small number of samples. It is concluded that the ability to assess these physiology and blood biochemistry factors of anteaters must be assessed, in order to detect changes in their health that may threaten their lives in time and thus be able to act in a timely and effective manner.

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2019-06-30

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How to Cite

Physiology and hematology of giant anteaters in captivity (Myrmecophaga tridactyla. Linnaeus, 1758), in Colombia. (2019). Revista Sistemas De Producción Agroecológicos, 10(1), 48-66. https://doi.org/10.22579/22484817.724

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