SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND CORRELATIONS IN TAMANDUA TETRADACTYLA ADRENOCORTICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL ACTIVITIES

ASENCIO, C. J.

Florencia

Congreso; SEB FLORENCE 2018; 2018

The Society for Experimental Biology

The study of daily physiological and behavioural patterns incontrolled conditions through non-invasive techniques is a first stepto understand how animals respond to anthropogenic disturbances.In this study, adrenocortical and behavioural activities of adultlesser anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla; 3 males, 3 females) fromCordoba Zoo, Argentina were characterised during 29 consecutivedays of autumn 2016 (April 21-May 20). Animals were housed inindividual and contiguous enclosures, under natural photoperiodand temperature; and fed with a balanced diet and food-basedenvironmental enrichment. All faeces were collected and faecalglucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) were measured with an11-oxoaetiocholanolone EIA. Activity pattern was monitoredcontinuously using infrared cameras, sampling behaviour every5 minutes (8640 registers/individual). Average FGM (μg/g faeces;mean±SEM) was 3.1±0.2; with individual (P