A Body Condition Score for Crocodilians

Ojeda-Adame, Ricardo Adrián; Hernández-Hurtado, Helios; Ramírez‐Martínez, María Magdalena; Íñiguez‐Dávalos, Luis Ignacio

doi:10.2994/sajh-d-18-00074.1

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In general, ecologists choose to use the method that is the most widely established in their field of study, thus allowing for direct comparisons between populations, species, or reproductive stages [ 51 ]. For example, the K-Fulton index is used historically in crocodilians [ 25 , 36 , 52 ], although at this time, some work is migrating to other indices, such as the SMI [ 8 , 30 , 32 ]. This change is because conventional body condition indices may be inherently biased with respect to animal size and tend to accentuate the condition values of larger animals because they do not meet animal isometry assumptions [ 21 , 22 , 53 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At present, there are several body condition indices (e.g., K-Fulton, SMI, regression), and the choice is related to different criteria, as they are rooted in the field of study, making comparison with other research possible. In crocodilian ecology, the K-Fulton is generally the most widely used [ 5 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], although it is gradually migrating to more appropriate indices such as the SMI [ 8 , 24 , 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Body Condition of Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Broad-Snouted Caiman Females

Viotto,

Leiva,

Pierini

et al. 2023

Animals

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In this work, we calculated the body condition indices, K-Fulton and scaled mass index (SMI), of reproductive and non-reproductive Caiman latirostris adult females as an indication of stored energy. We considered 87 adult females captured from 2001 to 2018, both reproductive and non-reproductive. The body condition was calculated considering two scenarios: (a) only the weight of the female, and (b) the sum of the weight of the female and the average dry weight of her nest. We tested the difference in body condition between reproductive and non-reproductive females. We also evaluated the minimal body condition required to guarantee that females above it are reproductive by drawing a line that separated the body condition of strictly reproductive individuals from those that may or may not be reproductive. Reproductive females had better body condition than non-reproductive ones. Our SMI.S line separated almost 70% of the reproductive females. Based on our results, we can guarantee that a female whose body condition is above the line will reproduce, although not all those females below the line are non-reproductive, as a few of those under the line will nest. With this information, we have one more biological indicator to take into account when making management and conservation decisions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Condition of Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Broad-Snouted Caiman Females

Viotto,

Leiva,

Pierini

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…BCS is a recognised robust animal-based measure for evaluating medium to long-term feeding practices in many species [ 33 ]. It has been used successfully in some species of crocodilian, though generally only when examining health in wild populations using weight/measurement rather than a visual scale [ 34 , 35 ]. Further work to develop a simple visual scale, appropriate to species, would enable consistent assessment of this measure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of Farmed Crocodilians: Identification of Potential Animal-Based Measures Using Elicitation of Expert Opinion

Hewitt

Small

2021

Animals

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Animal-based measures are the measure of choice in animal welfare assessment protocols as they can often be applied completely independently to the housing or production system employed. Although there has been a small body of work on potential animal-based measures for farmed crocodilians, they have not been studied in the context of an animal welfare assessment protocol. Potential animal-based measures that could be used to reflect the welfare state of farmed crocodilians were identified and aligned with the Welfare Quality® principles of good housing, good health, good feeding and appropriate behaviour. A consultation process with a panel of experts was used to evaluate and score the potential measures in terms of validity and feasibility. This resulted in a toolbox of measures being identified for further development and integration into animal welfare assessment on the farm. Animal-based measures related to ‘good feeding’ and ‘good health’ received the highest scores for validity and feasibility by the experts. There was less agreement on the animal-based measures that could be used to reflect ‘appropriate behaviour’. Where no animal-based measures were deemed to reliably reflect a welfare criterion nor be useful as a measure on the farm, additional measures of resources or management were suggested as alternatives. Future work in this area should focus on the reliability of the proposed measures and involve further evaluation of their validity and feasibility as they relate to different species of crocodilian and farming system.

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“…Recently, promising efforts have been made to create modified BCS systems for reptiles. Snakes such as Burmese pythons ( Python bivittatus ) or Corn snakes ( Pantheropis guttatus ) would seem to portray ideal candidates for validation of body condition assessments due to their simple body plans [ 43 , 44 ], and American Crocodiles ( Crocodylus acutus ) and Leopard Geckos ( Eublepharis macularius ) also allow for full body examination [ 45 , 46 ], however, the shell of chelonians poses a major constraint for the direct transfer of results, even within Testudines. The plastron of green turtles (C helonia mydas ) may permit for a certain expansion of the body circumference and therefore allow for a degree of visual depiction of the fat storage within the body [ 47 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body condition scoring facilitates healthcare monitoring in Hermann’s Tortoises (Testudo hermanni ssp.)

Frankenberger,

Ballouard,

Caron

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Clinical assessment of body condition is crucial in captive and free-ranging reptiles, since a large percentage of diseases result from inadequate nutrition. However, preventive health care is restricted by the lack of a practical method for the assessment in tortoises. Pre-existing evaluation systems based on weight and shell measurements are laborious and ignore the clinical presentation of the animal. The present study aimed to facilitate the assessment by establishing a body condition score. A total of 373 Hermann’s Tortoises (Testudo hermanni) (n = 281 tortoises kept as pets in Germany and n = 92 tortoises originating from a free-ranging population (68) or a rearing station (24) in France) were examined and data (weight (g), carapace length (cm), width (cm), height (cm)) were recorded in a standard protocol between October 2020 and October 2021. A modified version of a body condition score for Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) (1 = cachectic, 3 = ideal, 5 = obese) was utilized and tested against pre-existing shell measurement systems (Jackson’s ratio, body condition index, volume condition index, circumferential product). German captive tortoises were significantly heavier and larger than French specimens. In the Spearman’s correlation matrix, the body condition score showed a statistically significant correlation with all measurement methods in the total population of captive tortoises (Testudo hermanni boettgeri), with a medium correlation strength, and a lack of correlation in free-ranging tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni). However, individual animal data suggested misleading results of mathematical equations in terms of body condition. Clinical evaluation of tortoises, including a body condition score, should be considered essential to provide good healthcare and should be an integral part of general examination.

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A Body Condition Score for Crocodilians

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Body Condition of Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Broad-Snouted Caiman Females

Body Condition of Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Broad-Snouted Caiman Females

Welfare of Farmed Crocodilians: Identification of Potential Animal-Based Measures Using Elicitation of Expert Opinion

Body condition scoring facilitates healthcare monitoring in Hermann’s Tortoises (Testudo hermanni ssp.)

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