The San Cristóbal Galapagos tortoise, Chelonoidis chathamensis, is native to San Cristóbal, the most eastern and oldest island of the Galapagos Archipelago. Although numerous studies on the ecology, behavior and genetics of Galapagos tortoises have been published, little is known about the health status of these animals. Here we report blood values from clinically healthy tortoises.

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To continue releasing San Cristóbal Galápagos tortoises housed in managed-care facilities at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of Galápagos National Park (Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado) to the Otoy Ecological Farm, health assessments and physical examinations were conducted. As a part of these wellness examinations, blood was drawn from 11 tortoises to analyze fatty acid concentrations. Fatty acid levels can provide insight into the nutritional profiles, immune status, and reproductive health of vertebrates. To the co-author’s knowledge, there is no current information about fatty acids in this species. It was hypothesized that there would be inherent differences based on the different geographic ranges, diets, sex, and age of turtles. It was noted that the ω-6/ω-3 ratio was higher for the breeding center than for the ecological farm and that overall polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) did not have any significant differences. The ω-6/ω-3 findings can contribute to a global picture of these fatty acids across taxa, as reptiles are underrepresented in this area of research. Additional results are a resourceful starting point for future investigations into how fatty acids are affected in Galápagos tortoises.

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This paper presents novel baseline health parameters on the Española lava lizard (Microlophus delanonis). Blood samples and morphological measurements were taken on 51 lizards (21 males, 30 females) captured from three locations on the island of Española. Morphologic parameters measured included body weight, snout-vent length, and temperature. Blood samples were analyzed approximately eight hours after collection using a portable blood analyzer (i-STAT) which measured hemoglobin, total CO2, glucose, lactate, sodium, potassium, and ionized calcium. Hematologic characterization data were obtained using standard laboratory techniques. There were significant differences found in snout-vent length, weight, heart rate, respiratory rate, total CO2, and heterophil percentage between males and females. The data presented here can be used to monitor the health of this population of lava lizards as well as help to understand the health of a related species, the San Cristóbal lava lizard (Microlophus bivittatus), which faces different evolutionary pressures including the presence of humans and feral cats. This study continues to widen our understanding of the Microlophus genus; however, further research should be done to characterize the remaining species that inhabit the islands in the Galápagos archipelago.

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