Leeds Austin, Riley Alex, Terry Megan, Mazorra Marcus, Wick Lindsay, Krug Scott, Wolfe Kristen, Leonard Ike, Daneault Andy, Alba Andrew C, Miller Angela, Soltis Joseph
Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, USA.
New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Jan 22;12(3):269. doi: 10.3390/ani12030269.
Here, we evaluated if visual barriers could reduce intraspecific agonism in an all-male group of Nile crocodiles () living in a zoo. Crocodiles were monitored for nearly 100 h, and four "hotspots" of aggression within their exhibit were identified. Within these four locations, visual barriers were placed at the surface of the water with the goal of reducing agonism by targeting sight lines associated with their species-typical minimum exposure posture, where crocodiles submerge their body but maintain facial sensory organs above the water line. Crocodile behavior was then monitored for 226 h, evaluating both short- and long-term effects of the visual barriers. In both observation periods, intraspecific agonism was unaffected by visual barriers. However, crocodiles were more likely to be on land and closer together, after the barriers were installed, showing the barriers affected nonagonistic behaviors. Monitoring of such unintended effects is significant to ensure no welfare concerns are created in any exhibit or husbandry modification attempt. Additionally, time of day and temperature were significant predictors of behavior, highlighting the importance of such factors in the analysis of reptilian behavior. While ineffective at reducing agonism, this is the first published study evaluating exhibit design and behavior of crocodilians in zoos and aquariums. The methodologies and findings here should provide useful information for future behavioral and welfare studies of this understudied taxa.
在此，我们评估了视觉屏障是否能够减少生活在动物园中的全雄尼罗鳄群体内的种内争斗。对鳄鱼进行了近100小时的监测，并确定了它们展区内的四个攻击“热点”。在这四个位置，在水面设置了视觉屏障，目的是通过针对与其物种典型最小暴露姿势相关的视线来减少争斗，在这种姿势下，鳄鱼会将身体潜入水中，但面部感觉器官保持在水线以上。然后对鳄鱼的行为进行了226小时的监测，评估视觉屏障的短期和长期影响。在两个观察期内，种内争斗均未受到视觉屏障的影响。然而，在安装屏障后，鳄鱼更有可能在陆地上且彼此靠得更近，这表明屏障影响了非争斗行为。监测此类意外影响对于确保在任何展区或饲养管理改进尝试中不会产生福利问题至关重要。此外，一天中的时间和温度是行为的重要预测因素，突出了这些因素在爬行动物行为分析中的重要性。虽然在减少争斗方面无效，但这是第一项评估动物园和水族馆中鳄鱼展区设计和行为的已发表研究。此处的方法和结果应为该研究较少的分类群未来的行为和福利研究提供有用信息。
