BASELINE DATA ON HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS FOR THE USE OF WILD JUVENILE BROAD-SNOUTED CAIMAN (Caiman latirostris) AS BIOINDICATORS IN ATLANTIC FOREST, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Crocodilians are considered as good indicators of ecosystem health since environmental conditions will influence them at individual (body condition and health parameters) and populational levels (population dynamics and behavior). Despite that, there are few attempts to use crocodilians as bioindicators and the lack of baseline health parameters is an impediment to this. Here, hematological and biochemical reference values for free-ranging Caiman latirostris (broad-snouted caiman) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the most threatened biomes in the world, are proposed. Young caiman are more sensitive to environmental variations, besides being more abundant and more easily captured, when compared to adults, which facilitates their use as bioindicators. Furthermore, problems that affect young caimans may represent future population problems. The data obtained is an important tool in assessing the health of free-living populations, contributing to the use of C. latirostris as a bioindicator of health in the Atlantic Forest aquatic ecosystem.

Blood Biochemical Reference Intervals of Black Caimans (Melanosuchus niger) and Spectacled Caimans (Caiman crocodilus) in the Brazilian Amazon Region

“…The 11 blood biochemical parameters analyzed for two species of Amazonian crocodilians were within the range found for other crocodilian species (Olsson and Phalen 2013; Hamilton et al 2016; Scheelings et al 2016; Adelakun et al 2019; Nóbrega et al 2021; Balaguera-Reina et al 2022). However, our results established reference intervals for sympatric free-living individuals, including juvenile and subadult black caiman (SVL≤55 cm) with estimated ages (Da Silveira et al 2013) ranging from 0.5 to 5 yr, and all sizes of spectacled caiman (SVL≤107 cm) with estimated ages (Da Silveira et al 2013) ranging from 1 to19 yr.…”