Techniques to assess reproductive status in adult female American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) using laparoscopic examination

This protocol describes a minimally invasive surgical technique and approach to successfully examine the gonads of live female American alligators as part of a reproductive examination used in conservation medicine and biology. Best practices are based on examination of over 80 American alligators i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2023-11, Vol.18 (11), p.e0287140-e0287140
Main Authors: Flint, Mark, Flint, Jaylene B, Miller, Jeffrey D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Alligator mississippiensis
Alligators
Anesthesia
Aquatic animals
Aquatic reptiles
Bats
Best practice
Breeding status
Crocodiles
Endangered & extinct species
Evaluation
Females
Gonads
Health aspects
Laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopy
Laparotomy
Megafauna
Mesentery
Protocol
Reproductive status
Reproductive system
Reptiles & amphibians
Respiration
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This protocol describes a minimally invasive surgical technique and approach to successfully examine the gonads of live female American alligators as part of a reproductive examination used in conservation medicine and biology. Best practices are based on examination of over 80 American alligators in the last two years adapting principles derived from other reptilian megafauna species. This protocol is designed for appropriately qualified veterinarians and biologists working in the field. We show likely reproductive tract presentations with respect to breeding status and environmental cues to help guide interpretation of observations. The laparoscopic approach and findings presented here provide tools to safely clinically examine animals in a welfare-oriented way that will advance our understanding of crocodilian reproduction. This technique has not previously been described in this species.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0287140