Prospective Study on the Excretion of Mucous Stools and its Association with Age, Gender, and Feces Output in Captive Giant Pandas.

ABSTRACT: The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has evolved a large number of mucous glands in the intestinal lining to adapt to the digestion of high-fiber foods. However, in captive pandas, excessive mucus might form a mass and then be eliminated, which is often accompanied by discomfort and decreased activity. This event is called 'mucous excretion'. The causes of mucus excretions in captive pandas, however, remain unknown. The aims of this study were to document the occurrence of mucus excretion and to investigate its possible associations with pandas' age, gender, and feces output. Eighteen giant pandas were studied at the Beijing Zoo from April 2003 to June 2017, and a total of 900 occurrences of mucous excretion and 32,856 daily defecation outputs in weight were recorded. The likelihood of

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6562534 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature