Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Zoo Animals (zoo + animals)
Selected AbstractsTaught by animals: how understanding diet selection leads to better zoo dietsINTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK, Issue 1 2005B. D. Moore Wild animals invariably obtain their nutrient requirements, regulate their ingestion of toxins and even self-medicate. This review suggests that, while size and morphology dictate gross diet, the ability to select a diet is learnt. Animals learn to distinguish nutritious foods from less beneficial or toxic items through the positive and negative consequences of ingestion. In this process, early life experiences appear to be critically important. Zoo animals can rarely be provided with their wild diets and caretakers substitute nutrients from other sources. Thus, a suitable range of ingredients should be provided to give the animals a stimulating and nutritious diet that ensures excellent health. [source] Medieval big cat remains from the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of LondonINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 5 2006H. O'Regan Abstract Big cats have been regarded as a symbol of power in different cultures throughout history. Here we present a study of the only known big cat remains from the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London. They were excavated in 1937 but have not previously been published. Our radiocarbon dating has established that they range in date from the 13th,17th centuries, making them the earliest post-Pleistocene big cat remains in Britain. We provide a description of the specimens,two lion skulls, a fragmentary leopard, plus 19 dog crania,and discuss the partially occluded foramen magnum of one of the lions. This anomaly has also been noted in captive and unprovenanced cat skulls from the early 20th century, indicating that it is a condition with a long history. We discuss the remains, the history of the menagerie, and the uses of the animals, in the light of our knowledge of conditions for captive animals at the time. Zooarchaeological studies such as these may also provide insights for modern conservation of zoo animals, and this aspect of the work is also considered. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A survey of current dental problems and treatments of zoo animalsINTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK, Issue 1 2008S. E. GLATT Although communication among zoos and aquariums about animal dental practices is increasing among Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions, little printed information is available about the general dental practices and dental problems commonly encountered. In order to encourage communication and collaboration among practicing institutions, we surveyed AZA-sanctioned zoos and aquariums to determine trends in zoo dentistry. Results are presented from 53 participating institutions, discussing the most common problems encountered (malocclusions, dental fractures and periodontal disease) across specific animal groups, and a range of personnel participating in dental procedures (licensed veterinarians, dentists, veterinary technicians). Our results provide a foundation of common dental practices, encouraging additional research-oriented studies and collaboration between zoos and aquariums in the field of animal dentistry. [source] The complexity of formulating diets for zoo animals: a matrixINTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK, Issue 1 2005S. Crissey The nutrition matrix presented here identifies a variety of factors that need to be considered when formulating diets for wild animals in captivity. The matrix is designed to be adapted so that it can be customized as required. Food consumption, nutritional requirements, health status and management constraints and opportunities are the four main categories to focus on when developing diets. Each of these categories may, in turn, be affected by other factors. (1) Food consumption is affected by the diet offered, client (zoo animal manager, keeper or veterinarian) wishes and animal preferences. (2) Nutritional requirements are defined by known species requirements and National Research Council recommendations, morphology and feeding ecology. Nutritional requirements may also be influenced by season, life-stage, activity, health status, stress and body temperature. (3) Health status can be affected by nutritional deficiencies or toxicities in the diet offered. Certain health conditions may require specific dietary input. (4) Animal-management protocols, such as housing, breeding opportunities and environment, are affected by other animals, food storage and preparation capacity, and feeding regime, which, in turn, can be affected by training, exercise and enrichment. [source] Environmental enrichment: past, present and futureINTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK, Issue 1 2003D. J. SHEPHERDSON Intereat and activity in the field of environmental enrichment have blossomed over the last decade, and the sophistication and utility of the concepts underlying enrichment have grown correspondingly. Combined with the enthusiasm of animal keepers, this has resulted in demonstrable improvements to the welfare of zoo animals. The next step is for enrichment to be incorporated systematically into the husbandry programmes of all zoos and aquariums, and this is beginning to happen. Detailed systematic studies utilizing large sample sizes are needed to test and refine hypotheses in order to ensure that enrichment activities continue to be effective in the future. [source] Mineral absorption in tapirs (Tapirus spp.) as compared to the domestic horseJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 6 2009M. Clauss Summary To test whether mineral recommendations for horses are likely to guarantee adequate mineral provision for tapirs (Tapirus spp.), we investigated the apparent absorption (aA) of macro and micro-minerals in 18 tapirs from five zoological institutions in a total of 24 feeding trials with total faecal collection. Samples of feeds and faeces were analysed for Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Cu and Zn. The resulting aA coefficients and the linear relationships of apparently absorbable dietary mineral content to total dietary mineral content (per 100 g dry matter) were compared with data for domestic horses. While there were no apparent differences in the absorption patterns for P, K, Na, Fe, Cu or Zn, the absorption of both Ca and Mg was distinctively higher in tapirs than in horses. Tapirs are browsers that are adapted to a diet of higher Ca content and higher Ca:P ratio than equids, and high absorptive efficiency for Ca might have evolved to ensure that high dietary Ca concentrations do not lead to the binding of dietary P in the intestine, making it unavailable for hindgut microbes. Similar to other hindgut fermenters, in tapirs, absorption coefficients for Ca increased with dietary Ca:P ratio, and urinary Ca:creatinine ratios increased with dietary Ca. Several zoo diets used were deficient in one or more minerals. When compared with faeces of free-ranging animals, faeces of zoo animals had higher concentrations of most minerals, probably indicating a lesser diluting effect of indigestible fibre in zoo animals. [source] Allometry of facial mobility in anthropoid primates: Implications for the evolution of facial expressionAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Seth D. Dobson Abstract Body size may be an important factor influencing the evolution of facial expression in anthropoid primates due to allometric constraints on the perception of facial movements. Given this hypothesis, I tested the prediction that observed facial mobility is positively correlated with body size in a comparative sample of nonhuman anthropoids. Facial mobility, or the variety of facial movements a species can produce, was estimated using a novel application of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). I used FACS to estimate facial mobility in 12 nonhuman anthropoid species, based on video recordings of facial activity in zoo animals. Body mass data were taken from the literature. I used phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) to perform a multiple regression analysis with facial mobility as the dependent variable and two independent variables: log body mass and dummy-coded infraorder. Together, body mass and infraorder explain 92% of the variance in facial mobility. However, the partial effect of body mass is much stronger than for infraorder. The results of my study suggest that allometry is an important constraint on the evolution of facial mobility, which may limit the complexity of facial expression in smaller species. More work is needed to clarify the perceptual bases of this allometric pattern. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Genetic polymorphism as a background of animal behaviorANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Miho INOUE-MURAYAMA ABSTRACT Various studies have shown the associations between differences in human behavioral traits and genetic polymorphism of neurotransmitter-related proteins such as receptors, transporters and monoamine oxidase. To clarify the genetic background of animal behavior, corresponding regions in animals have been analyzed. The study has been especially focused on primates, as the evolutionally closest animal to humans, and on dogs, as the socially closest animal to humans. In primates, polymorphisms were discovered between or within species, and the functional effects on neural transmission were found to be different by alleles. Even in apes, the closest species to humans, function was different from that in humans. In dogs, allele distributions of several genes were different among breeds showing different behavioral traits, and genes associated with individual differences in aggressiveness and aptitude of working dogs were surveyed. The survey of behavior-related genes has also been carried out in other mammals such as horses and cetaceans. Genes controlling various behaviors in birds have also been reported. The marker genes for behavior will provide useful information for human evolution, welfare of zoo animals and effective selection of working dogs and industry animals. [source] | ||||||||||