Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T16:52:45.143Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of simulated transport on the behaviour of eastern blue tongued lizards (Tiliqua scincoides)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

K Mancera ,
PJ Murray ,
YN Gao ,
A Lisle  and
CJC Phillips
K Mancera*
Affiliation:
Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics (CAWE), School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Gatton 4343, QLD, Australia
PJ Murray
Affiliation:
Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics (CAWE), School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Gatton 4343, QLD, Australia School of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
YN Gao
Affiliation:
Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics (CAWE), School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Gatton 4343, QLD, Australia School of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
A Lisle
Affiliation:
Statistical Advisory Services, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Queensland 4343, Australia
CJC Phillips
Affiliation:
Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics (CAWE), School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Gatton 4343, QLD, Australia
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

There is widespread transport of reptiles for the pet trade throughout the world and the ‘dead on arrival’ rates are high. The eastern blue tongued (EBT) lizard (Tiliqua scincoides; Order: Squamata; suborder: Lacertilia) is particularly popular due to its unusual blue tongue. Noise, vibration and thermal discomfort are known contributors to transport stress. We analysed the behaviour of EBT lizards (n = 9) when exposed to four of these stimuli in a changeover design. Lizards were exposed to Heat (35°C), Cold (15°C), high or low frequency noise or a Control treatment with no stimulus in a test chamber for a 5-s period. Heating blankets and ice packs were used to create the hot and cold temperature stimuli in the test chamber, and a speaker broadcast noise/vibration from a truck recording. The test chamber was connected to an escape chamber, accessible after exposure to the stimulus, and a small hiding chamber opposite the test chamber. Lizard behaviour was monitored during stimulus exposure and then for a further 15 min, after which each lizard was removed. Lizards exposed to Cold spent less time in the test chamber (330 vs 434 s) and more time inactive in the escape chamber (148 vs 40 s). They also spent longer walking towards the hiding chamber (18.0 vs 10.5 s) and walking in the hiding chamber away from the stimulus (3.6 vs 2.3 s). We conclude that cold temperatures are potentially noxious for lizards in a simulated transport environment as they reduce activity and increase escape attempts.

Keywords

animal welfareeastern blue tongued lizardnoisetemperaturetransportwildlife trade
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , August 2014 , pp. 239 - 249
Copyright
© 2014 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Altherr, S and Freyer, D 2001 Morbidity and Mortality in Private Husbandry of Reptiles. Report by Pro Wildlife to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Horsham, UKGoogle Scholar
Alves-Pereira, M and Castelo Branco, NAA 2007 Vibroacoustic disease: biological effects of infrasound and low-fre-quency noise explained by mechanotransduction cellular sig-nalling. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 93: 256–279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2006.07.011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, RM and Pough, FH 1985 Metabolism of squamate reptiles: allometric and ecological relationships. Physiological Zoology 58: 214–231CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arena, PC, Steedman, C and Warwick, C 2012 Amphibian and reptile pet markets in the EU: an investigation and assessment. http://www.tieranwalt.at/upload/files/ARPM2012_v131.pdfGoogle Scholar
Auliya, M 2003 Hot trade in cool creatures: a review of the live rep-tile trade in the European Union in the 1990s with a focus on Germany. TRAFFIC Europe: Brussels, BelgiumGoogle Scholar
Barnett, KE, Cocroft, RB and Fleishman, LJ 1999 Possible communication by substrate vibration in a chameleon. Copeia 1: 25–28Google Scholar
Barten, SL 2005 Biology and husbandry: lizards. In: Mader, DR (ed) Reptile Medicine and Surgery pp 59–77. WB Saunders: Philadelphia, USAGoogle Scholar
Beltz, E 1996 Herpet-Pourri. http://Ebeltz.Net/Column/Chs/1996colu.htmlGoogle Scholar
Bowles, AE 1995 Responses of wildlife to noise. In: Knight, RL and Gutzwiller, K (eds) Wildlife and Recreationists: Coexistence through Management and Research pp 109–156. Island Press: Washington, USAGoogle Scholar
Bowman, M 1998 Conflict or compatibility? The trade, conser-vation and animal welfare dimensions of CITES. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy 1: 9–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13880299809353883CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cabanac, M and Bernieri, C 2000 Behavioral rise in body tem-perature and tachycardia by handling of a turtle (Clemmys insculp-ta). Behavioral Processes 49: 61–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0376-6357(00)00067-XGoogle Scholar
Cabanac, M and Gosselin, F 1993 Emotional fever in the lizard Callopistes Maculatus (Teiidæ). Animal Behavior 46: 200–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1993.1178CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen-Dalsgaard, J 2005 Directionality of the lizard ear. Journal of Experimental Biology 208: 1209–1217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01511CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christian, KA, Webb, JK and Schultz, TJ 2003 Energetics of blue tongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides) in a seasonal tropical envi-ronment. Oecologia 136: 515–523. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1301-9Google Scholar
CITES 2013 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna: How Cites Works. http://www.cites.org/Google Scholar
Cowgell, J and Underwood, H 1979 Behavioral thermoregulation in lizards: a circadian rhythm. Journal of Experimental Zoology 210: 189–194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402100122CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaz-Figueroa, O and Mitchell, MA 2005 Gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology. In: Mader, DR (ed) Reptile Medicine and Surgery pp 59–77. WB Saunders: Philadelphia, USAGoogle Scholar
EFSA 2004 The Welfare of Animals during Transport. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/doc/44ax1.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ellis, DJ, Firth, BT and Belan, I 2007 Circadian rhythms of loco-motor activity and temperature selection in sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa. Journal of Comparative Physiology 193: 695–701. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00359-007-0224-zGoogle Scholar
European Union (EU) 2013 The European Union Wildlife Trade Regulation. http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/eu/downloadlist//Google Scholar
Firth, BT and Belan, I 1998 Daily and seasonal rhythms in selected body temperatures in the Australian lizard Tiliqua rugosa (Scincidae): field and laboratory observations. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 71: 303–311Google ScholarPubMed
Greenberg, N 1977 An ethogram of the blue spiny lizard, Sceloporus cyanogenys (Reptilia, Lacertilia, Iguanidae). Journal of Herpetology 11: 177–195. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1563139CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenberg, N 1995 Ethological informed design in husbandry and research. In: Warwick, C, Frye, FL and Murphy, JB (eds) Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles pp 239–256. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1222-2_11CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guillette, LJ Jr, Cree, A and Rooney, AA 1995 Biology of stress: interactions with reproduction, immunology and intermedi-ary metabolism. In: Warwick, C, Frye, FL and Murphy, JB (eds) Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles pp 239–256. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1222-2_3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hänninen, L and Pastell, M 2009 Cowlog: open source soft-ware for coding behaviors from digital video. Behavior Research Methods 41: 472–476. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.2.472Google Scholar
Heatwole, HF and Taylor, J 1987 Ecology of Reptiles. Australian Ecology Series Surrey & Sons Pty Limites: Canberra, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Hendricks, R 1998 Technical Noise Supplement. California Department of Transportation: Sacramento, California, USAGoogle Scholar
Hill, PSM 2009 How do animals use substrate-borne vibrations as an information source? Naturwissenschaften 96: 1355–1371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-009-0588-8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holden, J 1998 By hook or by crook – a reference manual on illegal wildlife trade and prosecutions in the UK. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: Bedfordshire, UKGoogle Scholar
Huey, RB and Kingsolver, JG 1993 Evolution of resistance to high temperature in ectotherms. American Naturalist 142: 21–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/285521CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hur, JK and Lee, JY 2010 Effects of chronic vibration stress on liver, kidney and testes of the soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. Journal of Applied Animal Research 37: 241–245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2010.9707133CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hydbring-Sandberg, E, von Walter, LW, Hoglund, K, Svartberg, K, Swenson, L and Forkman, B 2004 Physiological reactions to fear provocation in dogs. Journal of Endocrinology 180(3): 439–448. http://dx.doi.org/10.1677/joe.0.1800439CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
John-Alder, HB, Garland, T Jr and Bennett, AF 1986 Locomotory capacities, oxygen consumption, and the cost of locomotion of the shingle-back lizard (Trachydosaurus rugosus). Physiological Zoology 59: 523–531CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kight, CR and Swaddle, JP 2011 How and why environmental noise impacts animals: an integrative, mechanistic review. Ecology Letters 14: 1052–1061. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01664.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koenig, J, Shine, R and Shea, G 2001 The ecology of an Australian reptile icon: how do blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua scin-coides) survive in suburbia? Wildlife Research 28: 215–227. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR00068Google Scholar
Langkilde, T, Schwarzkopf, L and Alford, R 2003 An ethogram for adult male rainbow skinks, Carlia jarnoldae. Herpetological Journal 13: 141–148Google Scholar
Li, R, Liu, N and Wang, J 1992 Effects of temperature on cardiac activities in the desert lizard Phrynocephalus pezewalskii. Acta Zoologica Sinica 38: 42–47Google Scholar
Lillywhite, HB and Gatten, RE 1995 Physiology and functional anatomy. In: Warwick, C, Frye, FL and Murphy, JB (eds) Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles pp 5–25. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1222-2_2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lissone, L 1999 Tiliqua scincoides. http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/tbiol/zoology/herp/Tiliquascincoides.pdfGoogle Scholar
Maldonado, AM, Nijman, V and Bearder, SK. 2009 Trade in night monkeys Aotus spp in the Brazil-Colombia-Peru tri-border area: international wildlife trade regulations are ineffectively enforced. Endangered Species Research 9: 143–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/esr00209CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manrod, JD, Hartdegen, R and Burghardt, GM 2007 Rapid solving of a problem apparatus by juvenile black-throated monitor lizards (Varanus albigularis albigularis). Animal Cognition 11: 267–273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10071-007-0109-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFarland, D 1999 Animal Behavior: Psychobiology, Ethology, and Evolution. Longman: Harlow, UKGoogle Scholar
Myhre, K and Hammel, HT 1969 Behavioral regulation of internal temperature in the lizard Tiliqua scincoides. American Journal of Physiology: Legacy Content 217: 1490–1495CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nijman, V, Shepherd, CR and Sanders, KL 2012 Over-exploitation and illegal trade of reptiles in indonesia. Herpetological Journal 22: 83–89Google Scholar
Perremans, S, Randall, JM, Allegaert, L, Stiles, MA, Rombouts, G and Geers, R 1998 Influence of vertical vibration on heart rate of pigs. Journal of Animal Science 76: 416–420CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, CJC, Jiang, Z, Hatton, AJ, Tribe, A, Bouar, ML, Guerlin, M and Murray, PJ 2011 Environmental enrichment for captive eastern blue-tongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides). Animal Welfare 20: 377–384Google Scholar
Rosen, GE and Smith, KF 2010 Summarizing the evidence on the international trade in illegal wildlife. Ecohealth 7: 24–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0317-yCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
RSPCA 2010 The Welfare State: Five Years Measuring Animal Welfare in the UK. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA): West Sussex, UKGoogle Scholar
Saunders, JC, Duncan, RK, Doan, DE and Werner, YL 2000 The middle ear of reptiles and birds. In: Dooling, RJ, Fay, RR and Popper, AN (eds) Comparative Hearing: Birds and Reptiles pp 13–69. Springer Verlag: New York, USA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1182-2_2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schütz, C 2003 Transport losses of CITES protected and non-protect-ed animal species. Federal Agency For Nature Conservation: Bonn, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Scott, GB 1994 Effects of short-term whole body vibration on animals with particular reference to poultry. World's Poultry Science Journal 50: 25–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/WPS19940003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smart, AC and Bride, I 1993 The UK Trade in Live Reptiles and Amphibians. http://www.rspca-animadversion.org.uk/Reptiles/index.htmGoogle Scholar
Soltani, A and Demneh, MK 2011 Analyzing of noise inside a simple vehicle cabin using boundary element method. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 73: 630–634Google Scholar
Steinmetz, M, Pütsch, M and Bisschopnik, T 1998 Transport mortality during the import of wild caught birds and reptiles to Germany : an investigation; including a study on pre-export-conditions in the United Republic of Tanzania. Federal Office for Nature Protection: Berlin, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Tapley, B, Griffiths, RA and Bride, I 2011 Dynamics of the trade in reptiles and amphibians within the United Kingdom over a ten-year period. Herpetological Journal 21: 27–34Google Scholar
Torr, GA and Shine, R 1994 An ethogram for the small scincid lizard Lampropholis guichenoti. Amphibia-Reptilia 15: 21–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853894X00524Google Scholar
Tumur, A, Abliz, O and Halik, M 2005 Influence of ambient temperature on energy metabolism and plasma thyroid hormone of Agama stoliczkana. Arid Zone Research 22: 201–204Google Scholar
Turner, G and Valentic, R 2001 Keeping Blue-Tongue Lizards. Australian Reptile Keeper Publications: Bendigo, Victoria, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Warriss, PD, Brown, SN, Knowles, TG, Edwards, JE and Duggan, JA 1997 Potential effect of vibration during trans-port onglycogen reserves in broiler chickens. The Veterinary Journal 153: 215–219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(97)80042-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warwick, C 1990 Reptilian ethology in captivity: observations of some problems and an evaluation of their aetiology. Applied Animal Behavior Science 26: 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(90)90082-OCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warwick, C 1991 Observations on disease-associated preferred body temperatures in reptiles. Applied Animal Behavior Science 28:375–380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(91)90169-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warwick, C 2006 Zoonoses: drawing the battle lines. Veterinary Times 36: 26–28Google Scholar
Warwick, C, Arena, P, Lindley, S, Jessop, M and Steedman, C 2013 Assessing reptile welfare using behavioral criteria. In Practice 35: 123–131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/inp.f1197CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warwick, C, Toland, E and Glendell, G 2005 Why legalise exotic pet markets? Veterinary Times 35: 6–7Google Scholar
Watson, T 1998 Reptile smugglers snared, US Says. USA Today 19.IX.1998CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wever, EG 1978 The Reptile Ear: Its Structure and Function. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New Jersey, USAGoogle Scholar
Wever, EG, Hepp-Reymond, MC and Vernon, JA 1966 Vocalization and hearing in the leopard lizard. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 55: 98–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.55.1.98CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, SK and Knowles, DG 1988 Australia's Reptiles: A Photographic Reference to the Terrestrial Reptiles of Australia. William Collins: Sydney, NSW, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Young, BA 2003 Snake bioacoustics: toward a richer understanding of the behavioral ecology of snakes. Quarterly Review of Biology 78: 303–325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/377052CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zung, GR, Vitt, LJ and Caldwell, JP 2001 Herpetology. Academic Press: San Diego, California, USAGoogle Scholar