Natural Habitat Design for Zoo-Housed Elasmobranch and Teleost Fish Species Improves Behavioural Repertoire and Space Use in a Visitor Facing Exhibit

Abstract

This study investigated the behaviour of two Elasmobranch species; Southern fiddler ray (Trygonorrhina dumerilii, n = 1) and Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni, n = 4) and two teleost species; moonlighter (Tilodon sexfasciatus, n = 1) and banded morwong (Cheilodactylus spectabilis, n = 1) living within a single enclosure. For this study, two treatments were compared, the original enclosure design, and then after the enclosure had been renovated to more closely represent the species natural habitats, with a raised front viewing glass to prevent visitor interaction. Behaviours such as resting, swimming and abnormal behaviours such as surface and perimeter swimming (elasmobranchs only) were recorded as well as location within the enclosure, for 10 days pre and 10 days post renovation. The Port Jackson sharks significantly reduced the performance of abnormal behaviours after renovation, and significantly increased the time spent near the exhibit front. The Southern fiddler ray increased resting post renovation, while the teleost species also spent more time near the exhibit front. Although a small sample size was used, the results suggest that a more naturalistic environment with multiple micro-habitats and effective visitor barriers allows for a greater proportion of the day spent exhibiting natural behaviours, greater space use and reduced stereotypes.

The Impact of Visitors on Non-Primate Species in Zoos: A Quantitative Review

“…These responses to ‘active’ people correspond with the theory of risk of predation, proposed by Quieroz & Young [ 39 ]. However, reducing the threat of visitors can be achieved through experimental design, such as provision of hidden areas or by reducing the perimeter of enclosures which visitors can access, both of which were modifications in the reviewed papers which led to a reduction in metrics indicative of negative experiences of visitors [ 48 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ].…”

Out of Sight, Out of Mind or Just Something in the Way? Visual Barriers Do Not Reduce Intraspecific Agonism in an All-Male Group of Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)

“…Evaluations of exhibit design on the behavior of animals in zoos and aquariums has significantly contributed to individual species' care and welfare [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Despite over 180 zoo and aquarium facilities managing crocodilian taxa in North America [50], this is the first published study evaluating the relationship between exhibit design and crocodilian behavior.…”

“…The behavior of animals in zoos and aquariums is significantly influenced by the exhibits they inhabit. For example, animal behavior has been shown to vary in relation to exhibit complexity [1,2], indoor and outdoor space availability [3,4], and how time is managed between multiple exhibit and holding spaces [5][6][7]. The addition of visual barriers-structural elements implemented in or around exhibits to limit visual access of animals to specific stimuli through hiding, privacy, and/or camouflage [8,9]-is another exhibit element that has broad applicability to influence animal behavior.…”

Psychological and social well‐being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums

“…They interpreted this to have implications for the animals' quality of life, because dominance hierarchies are known to impact health, access to food, and reproductive potential. Lawrence et al (2021) compared behavior of two chondrichthyan and two bony fish species before and after an exhibit renovation at the Melbourne Zoo. After replacing crushed shell substrate with sand, adding shelters, and installing a barricade to keep visitors' hands out of the exhibit, they observed reduced stereotypic perimeter‐ and surface‐swimming in four sharks, increased time spent resting in a stingray, and increased use of the exhibit space in two bony fishes.…”