Naslov
The effect of chemosensory enrichment on habituation in captive common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis)

Autori
Gojak Tomislav, *, Marković Neven, Glogoški Marko, Lisičić Duje

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
PROGRAM & BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 21st European Congress of Herpetology / - , 2022, 106-106

Skup
21st European Congress of Herpetology

Mjesto i datum
Beograd, Srbija, 05.09.2022. - 09.09.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Ponašanje, Ekologija
(Behaviour, Ecology)

Sažetak
Environmental enrichment in captive environment increases animal wellbeing, reduces stress and abnormal behaviour. Research on environmental enrichment has mostly focused on birds and mammals, with chemical stimuli being employed rarely for enrichment. Chemical cues play an important role in reptilian biology as they use them to detect predators and prey as well as for social communication. Podarics muralis is one of Europe's most widespread lizard. We believe any challenges faced by P. muralis - not only in captivity but also in isolation - are comparable to those encountered by other lizard species kept as laboratory animals for scientific purposes. Furthermore, behaviour and chemical communication of the genus Podarcis have been researched extensively, indicating P. muralis as a good experimental model. We conducted our research on 40 lizards caught in Zagreb, Croatia. Lizards were kept in a controlled laboratory setting for two weeks and were exposed to lizard scents collected on filter paper from donor conspecifics of the opposite sex during both acclimatization and testing periods, whereas the control group received unscented filter papers.The open field test was used twice daily for 5 days to assess their behavior. Using Ethovision XT15 software, we compared the rate of occurrence of different variables (i.e., tongue flicks, escape attempts, time spent in the centre of the open field, time spent moving, and distance travelled) to see if chemosensory enrichment affects lizard behaviour. Our findings suggest that both groups become habituated during the experimental protocol. In enriched individuals, we found a sharp decline in assessed variables. This suggests that enriched lizards adapted to the exploration test faster, indicating that enrichment improves the ability to adapt to novelty. Given the importance of chemoreception in reptiles, chemosensory enrichment is a straightforward method that could possibly benefit a wide spectrum of captive species.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA