Phrynosoma asio (Giant Horned Lizard) Captive Diet

-Vlurn íorcf! fi-cdluK la r(U\\iim\,

l l i o pUnUtrm

can hfí tJitftíí so

i l i . ; (fin r u r l l i ! Is In i i n l i u r l i n i ; ! ! p o s l l i o n lo l i d p fíicllifíiíc pttssH^H f,f \Uc. U:etliit% tu\w. I n t i ) l h ( ! %tfumn:h.

I'ollinvlnfí rcmwAÍ

of

thv

fe(!(liMÍ{ tul"-'/ th(; l i i r l l o \n k f p r In tho l i i c l l n r d p o s i t i o n w l f h fhf! híiíií) fint) neck K i i n d U'.edlnü

(íxtonded, u n l l l ll swnllínvi fCíimpbcIl

Ifjfjfj),

mlfílit hü n o a i . w i r y w h e n t m í i r l n g í i c o n v í i i e s c c n t

tiirtif; a n d ¡sfríisily [in-Ftiriiiüd In t h e I n t f m i v ü c í i r e l a n k d u e l o i t s smíill s i z f ; i n d íidjiistiilik; wiiKrr l e v d i , Mtild

and

i n i r d l c a t i o n I n j c c t i o n s can

hf.

h a n d i i n f í u s i r i g t h o i r e j i l m e n t p l a t f n r m , ít i.

pcrformed

wíth

used to vAtr/nU:

\urt\e ahovo w u l e r luvci f o r m e d i c a l s i i p p l e m e n t a f i o n a n d

fíjr i n t r a - c o e l o m i c I n j e c t l o n s s u c h as f l u l d s . For t h a t , a t o w y l ís placed l a t e r a l l y b e l o w (lie rear p l a s t r ó n o f t h e t u r t l e to e l é v a t e one side ¡n o r d e r to sllde t h e o r g a n s i n the c o e l o m i c c a v i t y a w a y f r o m t h e p u n c t u r c a n d a t l o w i n s e r i i o n o f t h e n e e d l e (Fíg. 2 ) , Aseaturtlearrivingata

rescuecenterrequireshandlingassoci-

ated wíth m e d i c a l p r o c e d u r e s . A l t h o u g h t h i s is n e c e s s a r y f o r t r e a t íng the t u r t l e , it c a n result i n stress. Use o f t h e i n i e n s i v e c a r e t a n k can d r a m a t í c a l l y r e d u c e t h e a m o u n t o f stress, g í v e n t h a t for m o s t '

t i m e n t s t h e t u r t l e d o e s n o t n e e d to b e h a n d l e d o u t o f t h e t a n k .

\ : h a v e used t h e i n t e n s i v e care t a n k f o r t h e past 15 years. a n d believe ít has h a d a m a j o r i m p a c t o n

treatmentsuccessofendan-

gered sea t u r t i e s .

('Ammu T, W. I!J9(1, Sen l u r d e ftjhnhlIKíidon, In \X R, Madef (ed,), Hypdití M e d i c i n e a n d Surgery, pp, 4Z7-4.'m, W. B. %ñ\ináern Oh. f'hlladüíphia l'ctin^ylviinla. CoNd, K.,ANf) J. MAHíjrAMiNrs. 1972, ÍÍKÍkilar and hurnorfil aspeen of the Jnfluenceof «nvironfnerital tempera ture on the i m m u n e reipfíníe of p o i k i l o t h e r m l c vertebrales. / l i n m i m o j , H)H('Íi:W¿-'^^>7 f-KA/f R, N. B. I9ÍM, Sea t u r l l e h c a d s t í i r t l n g a n d hafchery príígrams. In Ci. JC. M e f f e a n d C H. Carroll (eds,), Principiesoff^ínservatíon Bioíogy. pp. :(74-;jíK). SInaucr Associates, Sunderland, Massachusctts. f ÍHpm.i..

S. S „ L. B, CHOwrxiji, ANÍJ D . T , CHOI/SC- 199f)a, Modela to evalú-

ale headstarling as a management tool for long-IJved turiles. Ecol, A p p l , 6:55ft-56.'5, ,C.Í,

í j M P i f s , n . T , CiiOD'iR, N, B, FRAZI;B,AND I.. B, CROwt>F,R, 1996b.

Population model analysis for the loggerhead sea turtle [CUiretta carena] in Queensland. W i l d i . Res. 23:14.3-161. lAf:oBV>N, E. R., AND F. C. Oni(;(;i. 2007. Serodiagnostics. In F„ R. facobson (ed,). Infectious Diseases and Pathology of Reptiles, p p , 3 S I 394. CRC Press, Boca R a t ó n , Florida. LAWRf.NT.E, K. 1983. T h e use o f antibiotics i n reptiles: a r e v i e w . ) . Small A n i m . Pract. 24:741-752. OwRNS. D. W. 1999. Reproductive cycles a n d endocrínolog>-. ín K. L. Eckert, K.A. B j o r n d a l , F. A. A b r e u - G r o b o í s . and M . D o n n e l I y (eds.). Research and

Acknowledgments.~\^e

t h a n k all the sea t u r t l e rescue center v o l -

unteers, veterinarians (Itzhak Aizenberg, Yael G r u n d l a n d , and Roni King), a n d Israel National Nature a n d Parks A u t h o r i t y workers. VVe owe a special thanks to Gabi Gabbay and IshayTshuva, w h o helped in the creation o f the u n i t a n d ils tecbnical s u p p o r t , Meir Paltiel, Gil 1. ^en, a n d Shai Zagury, and to the M i n i s t r y o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l Prolection a n d to the N a d o n a l Nature a n d Parks A u t h o r i t y for t h e i r support.

M a n a g e m e n t Techniques for ihe

Conservaiíon

of Sea Turties. pp. 119-124. lUCN/SSC M a r i n e Turtle Specialisl Group Publ. No. 4. PARÉ, ] . A., A.SD E. R. JACOBSON. 2007. Mycotic diseases o f reptiles. In E. R. Jacobson (ed.), Infectious Diseases a n d Pathology o f Reptiles, p p . 527-570. CRC Press, Boca R a t ó n , Florida. RAC/SPA 2003. Gutdelines to desígn legislanons and regulanons to the conservation a n d m a n a g e m e n t o f m a r i n e turties populations a n d d i e i r h a b i t a t s . RAC/SPA.Tunis. TAU-, N - N . 1969. T h e effect of temperature on the i m m u n e response i n c o l d - b l o o d e d vertebrates. Physiol. Z o o l . 42:29-35. WiLHNsoN, R. 2004. Therapeudcs. In S. M c A r t h u r . R. W i l k i n s o n , a n d I . Meyer (eds.), M e d i c i n e tind Surgery o f Tortoises a n d Turües, p p . 465-503. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, l o w a .

HERPETOCULTURE NOTES SQUAMATA — L I Z A R D S

level o f i n t e r e s t b y t h e l i z a r d s t o w a r d crickets a n d m e a l w o r m s appeared to d i m i n i s h . Additionaily, 1 introduced two hatchling

PHRWQSOMA Phrynosorna

ASIO

(Glant H o r n e d U z a r d ) . CAPTIVE

DIET.

s p p . are g e n e r a l l y r e g a r d e d as a n t specialists, p r i n -

c i p a l l y o f t h e g e n u s Pogonomyrmex

Sceloporusgrammiciis

i n t o t h e e n c l o s u r e w i t h t h e P. asió i n o r d e r

to r e c o r d p o s s i b l e i n t e r a c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e rvvo species. B o t h R

( P i a n k a a n d Parker 1975. Co-

asió d i s p l a y e d i n t e r e s t i n t h e o t h e r l i z a r d s , e v i d e n t l y a r o u s e d b y

peia 1975111:141-162; W h i t f o r d a n d B r y a n t 1979. E c o l o g ) - 6 0 : 6 8 6 -

t h e i r m o v e m e n t s , a n d t h e f e m a l e P asio p u r s u e d a n d c o n s u m e d

f'^*4). H o w e v e r . s o m e species are n o t r e s t r i c t e d to a n a n t d i e t ,

b o t h o f t h e h a t c h l i n g S.

ing m o r e o p p o r t u n i s t i c w h e n t h e y h a v e access to a v a r i e t y o f l o o d resources ( L e n i o s - E s p i n a l et a l . 2 0 0 4 , H e r p e t o l . Rev. 2:131). On

29 A u g u s t

Phrynosorna

asió

adult mate

fíasio

2010, I p r e s e i u e d (95 m m SVL,

a c a p t i v e advilt

female

142 m m T L . mass 44 g) a n d a n

(94 m i n SVL, 147 m m T L . mass 47 g) w i t h a

variety o f p o t e n t i a l f o o d

Items

(ants. c r i c k e t s ,

meatworms.

a n d o t h e r Uzards). T h e f e m a l e shovved m o r e i n c i i n a t i o n a n d preference

t o feed o n a h u g e n u m b e r o f b l a c k g a r d e n

ants

grarrtniicus.

T h i s is t h e first d o c u m e n t e d case o f a Phn'nosoma

consuming

o t h e r l i z a r d s u n d e r c a p t i v e c o n d i t i o n s . W i t h these o b s e r v a t i o n s . I suggest t h a t P asió,

a l t h o u g h it is c o n s i d e r e d a n ant specialist.

is a n o p p o r t u n i s t i c generalist i n its d i e t . T h i s s h o u l d b e t a k e n i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n o r d e r to facilítate t h e i r m a i n t e n a n c e c a p t i v i t y . a n d p e r h a p s also w i t h o t h e r species oí

in

PhrynosonuL

I t h a n k T