Crocodylus intermedius (Orinoco Crocodile)

The Orinoco Crocodile is critically endangered throughout its range (https://www.iucnredlist.org/ species/5661/3044743. Accessed 20 July 2020). In Colombia, Palmarito Foundation bred this species from 2012 to 2020. Eggs were collected at Wisirare Biopark (4.910397°N, 71.433817°W, WGS 84; 139 m elev.), Orocué, Casanare, Colombia, as a part of a captive-breeding and release conservation program...Fil: Antelo, Rafael. Fundación Palmarito Casanare; ColombiaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentin

Clutch size of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) varies on a latitudinal gradient

The distribution of the Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) ranges from 5°S to 32°S. Thus, caiman populations are exposed to different climatic conditions, and this latitudinal gradient could affect aspects of their reproduction. In this study we present evidence that there is a positive relationship between clutch size and latitude. A possible effect of smaller clutch size  on populations from low latitudes could be increased nesting frequency, thus improving female fitness.Fil: Simoncini, Melina Soledad. Proyecto Yacaré; Argentina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Piña, Carlos Ignacio. Proyecto Yacaré; Argentina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Proyecto Yacaré; Argentina. Dirección General de Manejo Sustentable de Fauna y Flora; Argentin

Caiman yacare (Yacare Caiman): Triplets

The Broadsnouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) and Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) are the two crocodilian species that inhabit Argentina (Prado et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26. Suppl 1:403– 410). They can be easily differentiated based on species-specific morphological features (e.g., cranial and nuchal structures). These two species are broadly sympatric throughout their distribution in Argentina, although the C. latirostris appears to be allopatric across a larger area...Fil: Vega, Gerardo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Exactas; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Gobierno de la Provincia de Santa Fe. Ministerio de Ambiente.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. University and Caimanes de Formosa; Argentin

Caiman yacare (Yacare Caiman): Triplets

The Broadsnouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) and Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) are the two crocodilian species that inhabit Argentina (Prado et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26. Suppl 1:403– 410). They can be easily differentiated based on species-specific morphological features (e.g., cranial and nuchal structures). These two species are broadly sympatric throughout their distribution in Argentina, although the C. latirostris appears to be allopatric across a larger area...Fil: Vega, Gerardo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Exactas; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Gobierno de la Provincia de Santa Fe. Ministerio de Ambiente.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. University and Caimanes de Formosa; Argentin

DNA extraction from skins of wild (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and Pecari tajacu) and domestic (Sus scrofa domestica) species using a novel protocol.

Sometimes, commercial products obtained from wild animals are sold as if they were from domestic animals and vice versa. At this point of the productive chain, legal control of possible wildlife products is difficult. Common in the commerce of northern Argentina, skins of two wild species, the carpincho and the collared peccary, look very similar to each other and to those of the domestic pig; it is extremely difficult to differentiate them after they have been tanned. Because there was no an adequate methodology to discriminate between leather of these three species, we developed a new methodology of DNA extraction from skin and leather. This new method involves digesting a leather sample using proteinase K, followed by precipitation of proteins with 5 M NaCl, cleaning with absolute isopropanol and DNA precipitation with 70% ethanol. DNA is hydrated in Tris-EDTA buffer. This protocol provided good-quality DNA suitable for analysis with molecular markers. This new protocol has potential for use in identifying leather products of these species using molecular markers based on RAPDs.Fil: Ojeda, Guillermo Nicolás. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Amavet, Patricia Susana. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Rueda, Eva Carolina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentin

Effects of In Vivo Exposure to Roundup® on Immune System of Caiman latirostris.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Roundup® (RU, glyphosate-based formulation) on some parameters of the immune system and growth of Caiman latirostris. Seventy-two caimans (20-day-old) from Proyecto Yacaré (Gob. Santa Fe/MUPCN) were used. Two groups were exposed for 2 months to different concentrations of RU (11 or 21 mg/L; taking into account the concentration recommended for its application in the field), while one group was maintained as control. The RU concentration was progressively decreased through the exposure period to simulate glyphosate degradation in water. Animals were measured and weighed at the beginning and end of the experiment, and blood samples taken after exposure to determine total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts as well as total protein concentration (TPC), and for performing protein electrophoresis. The results showed that, compared against control hosts, there was a decrease in WBC counts, a higher percentage of heterophils, a higher TPC (with a low percentage of F2 protein fraction), and a negative effect on growth in the young caimans exposed to RU. These results demonstrate that in vivo exposure to RU induced alterations in the selected immune parameters, plasma proteins, and growth of caimans, thereby providing relevant information about the effects of this type of pesticide in this important species in the Argentinian wetlands.Fil: Latorre, María Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: López González, Evelyn Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Larriera, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Poletta, Gisela Laura. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Plasma Activity of the Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris)

Crocodilians exhibit well-defined social behaviors, which frequently result in serious wounds as a consequence of social disputes including the loss of entire limbs. Despite the severity of many wounds, there is typically little sign of infection. A common question is how these animals survive with serious wounds without showing obvious signs of illness, particularly when living in environments containing potentially pathogenic microbes. In this study we determined in vitro plasma antibacterial activity of the Broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) against Escherichia coli and compared it to that in hen (Gallus gallus) and human plasma. Colony forming units were measured at different exposure times (0, 1, 3, and 6 h). The antibacterial activity of Broad-snouted caiman plasma was consistently superior to those of human and hen plasma, and hen plasma had greater activity than human plasma except at 3 h of exposure. Only C. latirostris plasma completely inhibited E. coli proliferation at 6 h.Fil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Proyecto Yacaré; Argentina. Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Provincia de Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Piña, Carlos Ignacio. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Argentina. Proyecto Yacaré; ArgentinaFil: Larriera, Alejandro. Proyecto Yacaré; Argentina. Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Provincia de Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias; ArgentinaFil: Merchant, Mark. McNeese State University; Estados UnidosFil: Di Conza, José Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Microbiología General; Argentin

In vitro evaluation of synergistic activity between ciprofloxacin and broad snouted caiman serum against Escherichia coli

The in vitro synergistic activity between ciprofloxacin and serum of broad snouted caiman on Escherichia coli was studied. The estimated MIC value of ciprofloxacin was 0.0188 Μg/ml, and two assays of kill curve during 5 hours were performed: the first one in a standard culture medium and the second one in the presence of caiman serum. Different concentrations of ciprofloxacin were tested. Ciprofloxacin showed higher values of bacterial elimination rate in the presence of caiman serum in all concentrations tested. The combined activity of sub-inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin and the humoral immune factors present in caiman serum determined an increase in the bacterial elimination observed in this assay. We suggest that the antibacterial activity of complement and natural antibodies present in caiman serum, which can bind to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and acting through the classical complement pathway, can inhibit bacterial growth of Escherichia coli by lysis.Fil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: Russi, N. B.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, Hugo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Formentini, Enrique Antonio. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin

Basal frequency of micronuclei and hematological parameters in the Side-necked Turtle, Phrynops hilarii (Duméril & Bibron, 1835)

The present study aimed to evaluate basaleline frequency of micronuclei (MN) and reference values for hematological values parameters in adult Phrynops hilarii in order to propose this aquatic turtle, broadly distributed in our region, as a biological monitor for future studies of environmental pollution assessment. Thirty-two adult turtles from a semi-natural environment located at the Zoological Experimental Station (Santa Fe, Argentina) were used. Blood samples were taken and the following parameters were determined: basaleline frequency of MN (BFMN), total red blood cells (RBC) count, hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb), total and differential white blood cells (WBC). The BFMN determined for the species was 3.56 ± 1.39, while hematological parameters showed the following reference values: 0.937 ± 0.12 x106 RBC/µl, 27062.50 ± 4565.43 WBC/mm3, hematocrit 18 ± 1.81% and Hb concentration 4.80 ± 0.45 g/dl. Differential WBC counts were: 76 ± 2.90% for lymphocytes, 20.12 ± 2.56% for heterophils, 1.5 ± 0.19% for monocytes, and 2.12 ± 0.61% for eosinophils, while no basophils were observed in any of the samples analyzed. No differences were observed between males and females in any of the variables analyzed. Data provided in this work could be useful as reference values for future studies of natural regions where P. hilarii occurs, employing this species as a sentinel organism for genotoxic and immunotoxic evaluation of environmental pollutants.Fil: Latorre, María Agustina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: López González, Evelyn Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Poletta, Gisela Laura. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Toxicología y Bioquímica Legal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

Baseline values of Micronuclei and Comet Assay in the lizard Tupinambis merianae (Teiidae, Squamata)

The Micronucleus test (MN) and Comet assay (CA) are currently the most widely used methods that allow the characterization of DNA damage induced by physical and chemical agents in wild species. The continuous expansion of the cultivated areas in Argentina, since the introduction of transgenic crops, mainly soy, in association with the increased use of pesticides, transformed deeply the natural environments where the lizard Tupinambis merianae occurs. Despite reptiles have shown to be excellent bioindicators of environmental contaminants, there is no record of genotoxicity studies in T. merianae. The aim of the present study was to adjust the MN test and CA protocols to be applied in erythrocytes of T. merianae, and determine the baseline values of DNA damage in this species. We used 20 adult lizards (10 males: 10 females) from Estación Zoológica Experimental “Granja La Esmeralda" (Santa Fe, Argentina). Peripheral blood samples were collected from all animals and the MN test and CA applied according to the protocols established for other reptilian species. We test critical parameters of CA protocol (cell density, unwinding and electrophoresis times) using increasing concentrations of H2O2 (10, 25 and 50 µM) as a known genotoxic agent to induce DNA damage. Based on this, we determined the most suitable conditions for the CA in this species: a cell density of 4 x 103 erythrocytes per slide, 10 min of unwinding and 15 min of electrophoresis at 0.90 V/cm approximately. The baseline frequency of micronuclei (BFMN= MN/1000 erythrocytescounted) determined for this species was 0.95 ± 0.27 and the basal damage index (BDI: calculated from 100 comet images classified in arbitrary units) = 103.85 ± 0.97. No differences were observed between sexes in the BFMN or BDI (p > 0.05), and no relation was found between baseline values and length or weight of the analyzed animals (p > 0.05). These results demonstrated the sensitivity of both biomarkers of genotoxicity to be applied in erythrocytes of this species, with baseline values comparable to those reported in other reptilian species. These results allow us to propose the tegu lizard for future in vivo studies to assess the genotoxicity of different agents, including those possibly affecting it in its natural geographic distribution.Fil: Schaumburg, Laura Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Poletta, Gisela Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: Mudry, Marta Dolores. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin