Body condition as a descriptor of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) health status in the Greater Everglades, Florida, United States.

ABSTRACT: Body condition is used as an indicator of the degree of body fat in an animal but evidence of its actual relationship with health diagnostics (e.g., blood parameters) is usually lacking across species. In American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), body condition has been used as a performance metric within the Greater Everglades ecosystem to provide insight on hydrological and landscape changes on alligator populations. However, there is no clear evidence that spatial body condition changes relate to different health conditions (low food intake vs sickness) and whether this link can be made when relating body condition values with blood parameters. We assessed the relationship between alligator body condition and 36 hematological and biochemistry (blood) parameters in four areas acr

SUBMITTER: Balaguera-Reina SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10688880 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature