CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION AND ANESTHESIA OF FREE-LIVING AARDVARKS (<i>ORYCTEROPUS AFER</i>) WITH KETAMINE-MEDETOMIDINE-MIDAZOLAM AND ISOFLURANE

Rey, Benjamin; Costello, Mary-Ann; Fuller, Andrea; Haw, Anna; Hetem, Robyn S.; Mitchell, Duncan; Meyer, Leith C. R.

doi:10.7589/2013-07-166

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The study took place at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve (27814 0 57 00 S, 22822 0 52 00 E) in South Africa. In July 2012, we implanted temperature-and motion-sensitive biologgers and tracking transmitters (electronic supplementary material, S1) into six free-living adult aardvarks (37-45 kg) under anaesthesia [11]. Following surgery, aardvarks were released at their capture sites.…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Aardvark Body Temperature And Activity Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari: an indirect effect of climate change

et al. 2017

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Aardvarks () are elusive burrowing mammals, predominantly nocturnal and distributed widely throughout Africa except for arid deserts. Their survival may be threatened by climate change via direct and indirect effects of increasing heat and aridity. To measure their current physiological plasticity, we implanted biologgers into six adult aardvarks resident in the semi-arid Kalahari. Following a particularly dry and hot summer, five of the study aardvarks and 11 other aardvarks at the study site died. Body temperature records revealed homeothermy (35.4-37.2°C) initially, but heterothermy increased progressively through the summer, with declining troughs in the nychthemeral rhythm of body temperature reaching as low as 25°C before death, likely due to starvation. Activity patterns shifted from the normal nocturnal to a diurnal mode. Our results do not bode well for the future of aardvarks facing climate change. Extirpation of aardvarks, which play a key role as ecosystem engineers, may disrupt stability of African ecosystems.

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Section: Materials and Methods (A) Aardvark Body Temperature And Activity Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari: an indirect effect of climate change

et al. 2017

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“…We captured and immobilised our aardvarks as previously described (Rey et al, 2014). Each aardvark was immobilised using a propelled dart administered intramuscularly.…”

Section: Aardvark Capture and Surgerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Diurnal Activity Is Indicative of Energy Deficit in a Nocturnal Mammal, the Aardvark

et al. 2020

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Shifting activity to cooler times of day buffers animals from increased heat and aridity under climate change. Conversely, when resources are limited, some nocturnal species become more diurnal, reducing energetic costs of keeping warm at night. Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are nocturnal, obligate ant-and termite-eating mammals which may be threatened directly by increasing heat and aridity, or indirectly by the effects of climate change on their prey. We hypothesised that the minimum 24-h body temperature of aardvarks would decline during energy scarcity, and that aardvarks would extend their active phases to compensate for reduced resource availability, possibly resulting in increased diurnal activity when aardvarks were energetically compromised. To measure their thermoregulatory patterns and foraging activity, we implanted abdominal temperature and activity data loggers into 12 adult aardvarks and observed them for varying durations over 3 years in the Kalahari. Under non-drought conditions, aardvarks tightly controlled their 24-h body temperature rhythm (mean amplitude of the 24-h body temperature rhythm was 1.8 ± 0.3 • C during summer and 2.1 ± 0.1 • C during winter) and usually were nocturnal. During a summer drought, aardvarks relaxed the precision of body temperature regulation (mean 24-h amplitude 2.3 ± 0.4 • C) and those that subsequently died shifted their activity to progressively earlier times of day in the weeks before their deaths. Throughout the subsequent winter, the aardvarks' minimum 24-h body temperatures declined, causing exaggerated heterothermy (4.7 ± 1.3 • C; absolute range 24.7 to 38.8 • C), with one individual's body temperature varying by 11.7 • C within 8 h. When body temperatures were low, aardvarks often emerged from burrows during daytime, and occasionally returned before sunset, resulting in completely diurnal activity. Aardvarks also shortened their active periods by 25% during food scarcity, likely to avoid energetic costs incurred by foraging. Despite their physiological and behavioural

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Aardvarks

2019

Zoo and Wild Mammal Formulary

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CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION AND ANESTHESIA OF FREE-LIVING AARDVARKS (ORYCTEROPUS AFER) WITH KETAMINE-MEDETOMIDINE-MIDAZOLAM AND ISOFLURANE

Cited by 3 publications

References 15 publications

Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari: an indirect effect of climate change

Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari: an indirect effect of climate change

Increased Diurnal Activity Is Indicative of Energy Deficit in a Nocturnal Mammal, the Aardvark

Aardvarks

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