Serum Biochemical Profile of Captive-Bred Philippine Crocodiles (Crocodylus Mindorensis Schmidt, 1935) Sub-adults

• Main Authors: Ragaza, Janice A, Velasquez, Stephanie F, Asuncion, Marian Samantha M, Torres, Elyssa Marie F, Manalo, Rainier, Freitag, Hendrik
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2021
• Subjects: captive-bred crocodiles; critically endangered species; Philippine crocodiles; serum biochemical profile; serum uric acid; sex difference; Animal Sciences; Biology
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/biology-faculty-pubs/89; https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1084&context=biology-faculty-pubs
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

The Philippine crocodiles Crocodylus mindorensis Schmidt; 1935 are a critically endangered species that necessitate minimally invasive diagnostic tools for their physiological state and health assessment. In the current study; we determined the reference ranges for the serum biochemistry of male and female captive-bred C. mindorensis sub-adults. We collected blood samples from the post-occipital venous sinus of six male and seven female captive-bred crocodile sub-adults at the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center and quantified the serum biochemical values for cholesterol; triglycerides; uric acid; glucose; creatinine; aspartate aminotransferase (AST); alanine aminotransferase (ALT); albumin; total protein; and globulin. We defined reference ranges through the central 95% of the concentration values obtained. The uric acid concentrations were significantly different between male and female C. mindorensis sub-adults. Uric acid levels were higher (P = 0.035) in male sub-adults because of their higher food intake resulting from dominance and aggression during feeding times. Serum biochemical values of C. mindorensis exhibited similarities with and variations from other crocodile species. We briefly discussed the differences with other species and the influence of factors such as field and laboratory methodologies; environmental conditions; nutritional status; and size class.