Integrating Measures of Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites and Giving-Up Densities to Assess Adrenocortical Activity and Well-Being in Zoo-Housed Three-Banded Armadillos (Tolypeutes matacus).

ABSTRACT: To monitor adrenocortical activity in zoo-housed species, we propose using physiological and behavioral indicators that are non-invasive and practical to implement. We explore this model in the southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus; armadillo), which is a near-threatened species commonly found in zoos. We aimed to (1) deploy food patches to quantify foraging behavior (via giving-up densities, GUDs); (2) determine the effects of food patch and environmental modifications on individuals' GUDs and adrenocortical activity (via fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, FGMs); and (3) examine the relationship between GUDs and FGMs. Three males and four females received food patches under varying experimental conditions at the Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, USA). Fecal samples were c

SUBMITTER: Howell-Stephens J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10295497 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature