| septicemia associated with stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a west african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis subsp. tetraspis). | a 17-year-old male captive west african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis subsp. tetraspis) died 1 month after fighting with a penmate. abrasions were present on the head and mandible. necropsy revealed a vegetative valvular lesion of the left atrioventricular valve, miliary foci of necrosis in the endocardium and myocardium, multiple duodenal and rectal ulcers, and serous atrophy of body fat. stenotrophomonas maltophilia was isolated in pure culture from lung, liver, and kidney. gram-negat ... | 2001 | 11482606 |
| characterization of serum phospholipase a(2) activity in three diverse species of west african crocodiles. | secretory phospholipase a(2), an enzyme that exhibits substantial immunological activity, was measured in the serum of three species of diverse west african crocodiles. incubation of different volumes of crocodile serum with bacteria labeled with a fluorescent fatty acid in the sn-2 position of membrane lipids resulted in a volume-dependent liberation of fluorescent probe. serum from the nile crocodile (crocodylus niloticus) exhibited slightly higher activity than that of the slender-snouted cro ... | 2011 | 22110960 |
| reptilian chemistry: volatile compounds from paracloacal glands of the american crocodile (crocodylus acutus). | the secretion of the paracloacal glands of the american crocodile (crocodylus acutus) contains over 80 lipophilic compounds, including saturated and unsaturated long-chain alcohols along with their formic, acetic, and butyric acid esters, and several isoprenoids. most of these compounds were identified on the basis of mass spectra, obtained by gc-ms. in addition, identification of the major components was supported by infrared spectra obtained by gc-ftir. major differences are indicated in the c ... | 2002 | 12035925 |
| aerobic intestinal flora of wild-caught african dwarf crocodiles osteolaemus tetraspis. | intestinal contents were collected from wild-caught african dwarf crocodiles (osteolaemus tetraspis) in 1993 and 1995 which were slaughtered at urban markets in the congo republic. the samples were kept frozen and brought back to onderstepoort for aerobic culture. out of 29 specimens, 33 species of bacteria and 20 species of fungi were isolated. the bacteria included three isolates of salmonella and eight isolates of escherichia coli, most of the latter being rough strains. the flora of individu ... | 2000 | 11131121 |
| new and earlier records of ticks (acari: ixodidae, argasidae) from guinea-bissau. | ticks were collected from pastures and domestic and wild vertebrates during the rainy seasons of 1994 and 1996 in guinea-bissau. we collected the following species: from pastures rhipicephalus lunulatus neumann, r. muhsamae morel & vassiliades, r. senegalensis koch, and r. sulcatus neumann; from reptiles amblyomma nuttalli dönitz and aponomma flavomaculatum (lucas); and from mammals amblyomma paulopunctatum neumann, amblyomma splendidum giebel, amblyomma variegatum (f.), hyalomma truncatum koch, ... | 2000 | 11126561 |
| salmonella isolated from crocodiles and other reptiles during the period 1985-1994 in south africa. | over a 10-year period, 173 isolates of salmonella were obtained during routine isolation from reptiles. of the 173 isolates, 92 different salmonella serovars were identified. of them, 61 (66%) belonged to subspecies i, nine to subspecies ii and 21 to subspecies iii (iiia and iiib), and one to subspecies iv. the majority of isolates were from farmed nile crocodiles (145), three from wild-caught african dwarf crocodiles, 11 from captive snakes, 13 from lizards and one from a tortoise. the isolates ... | 1997 | 9551479 |
| bacteremia and septic arthritis in a west african dwarf crocodile. | an anorectic, adult west african dwarf crocodile was examined because of bilateral hind limb paresis. clinical findings included multiple skin wounds, osteomyelitis of the distal portions of the right radius and ulna, severe anemia, and serratia marcescens bacteremia. the crocodile died after a blood transfusion. at necropsy, hemorrhage in the subarachnoid space, suppurative polyarthritis, and gastric ulceration were found. serratia marcescens and morganella morganii were isolated from multiple ... | 1988 | 3292493 |
| reptilian chemistry: characterization of dianeackerone, a secretory product from a crocodile. | the major volatile component in the paracloacal glandular secretion of the adult african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis) was isolated and characterized as a 19-carbon aromatic ketone, dianeackerone (3,7-diethyl-9-phenyl-2-nonanone). this ketone is absent from the secretion of immatures. careful examination of dianeackerone samples isolated from individual adults revealed that this ketone occurs as both the (3s, 7s) and (3s, 7r) stereoisomers, with different individuals presenting strikin ... | 1999 | 10535906 |
| reptilian chemistry: characterization of a family of dianeackerone-related steroidal esters from a crocodile secretion. | the african dwarf crocodile, osteolaemus tetraspis (crocodilidae, reptilia), possesses a pair of skin glands, the paracloacal glands, the secretion of which is thought to be used to mark nest sites or attract mates. ten aromatic steroidal esters were isolated from this secretion and characterized on the basis of nmr spectroscopic investigations, electrospray ionization-ms analyses, and chemical degradation. these esters, which account for more than 90% of the paracloacal glandular secretion, are ... | 1999 | 10535907 |
| fatal pentastomiasis in captive african dwarf crocodile hatchlings (osteolaemus tetraspis). | six eggs from a captive african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis) nest were artificially incubated. two abnormal hatchlings with incomplete absorption of their yolk sacs died within 48 hr of hatching. no parasites were detected grossly or histologically in either hatchling. the remaining four apparently healthy hatchlings died without clinical signs at 3 wk of age, 1 wk after being fed live wild-caught fish and commercially raised goldfish. necropsy revealed multiple white small wormlike o ... | 2001 | 12785706 |
| extended mitogenomic phylogenetic analyses yield new insight into crocodylian evolution and their survival of the cretaceous-tertiary boundary. | the mitochondrial genomes of the dwarf crocodile, osteolaemus tetraspis, and two species of dwarf caimans, the smooth-fronted caiman, paleosuchus trigonatus, and cuvier's dwarf caiman, paleosuchus palpebrosus, were sequenced and included in a mitogenomic phylogenetic study. the phylogenetic analyses, which included a total of ten crocodylian species, yielded strong support to a basal split between crocodylidae and alligatoridae. osteolaemus fell within the crocodylidae as the sister group to cro ... | 2007 | 17719245 |
| species-level diversification of african dwarf crocodiles (genus osteolaemus): a geographic and phylogenetic perspective. | the taxonomy of the african dwarf crocodile (genus osteolaemus) has been disputed since a novel morphotype was discovered in the early 20th century. because this poorly-known reptile is widely hunted throughout the forests of central and west africa, resolving the existence and extent of taxonomic units has important management and conservation implications. lack of molecular data from individuals of known origin and historical disagreement on diagnostic morphological characters have hindered at ... | 2009 | 19056500 |
| estimating age from recapture data: integrating incremental growth measures with ancillary data to infer age-at-length. | estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. many species, however, either do not exhibit physical characteristics useful for independent age validation or are too rare to justify sac ... | 2011 | 22073638 |
| the first case of intersexuality in an african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis). | to the authors knowledge this is the first case of intersexuality in an african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis). an adult african dwarf crocodile with a male-typical phenotype lived at zoo duisburg in germany for 10 years. it died in october 2012 despite intensive treatment as a result of terminal septicemia. after a detailed pathological examination the gonads were histologically confirmed as ovotestes. half of the 22 extant species of crocodilians have been examined for occurrence of t ... | 2014 | 25043490 |
| paleohistology of susisuchus anatoceps (crocodylomorpha, neosuchia): comments on growth strategies and lifestyle. | susisuchus anatoceps is a neosuchian crocodylomorph lying outside the clade eusuchia, and associated with the transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early eusuchians. the specimen mpsc r1136 comprises a partially articulated postcranial skeleton and is only the third fossil assigned to this relevant taxon. thin sections of a right rib and right ulna of this specimen have been cut for histological studies and provide the first paleohistological information of an advance ... | 2016 | 27149108 |
| did late pleistocene climate change result in parallel genetic structure and demographic bottlenecks in sympatric central african crocodiles, mecistops and osteolaemus? | the mid-holocene has had profound demographic impacts on wildlife on the african continent, although there is little known about the impacts on species from central africa. understanding the impacts of climate change on codistributed species can enhance our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and for formulating restoration objectives. we took a multigenome comparative approach to examine the phylogeographic structure of two poorly known central african crocodile species-mecistops sp. aff. catap ... | 2017 | 29024142 |
| pentastomid parasites of the family sebekidae fain, 1961 in west african dwarf crocodiles osteolaemus tetraspis cope, 1851 from the congo, with a description of alofia parva n. sp. | the lungs and viscera of 23 dwarf crocodiles (osteolaemus tetraspis) obtained from markets in brazzaville, were examined for pentastomid infection. twenty-one animals were infected and harboured a total of 82 pentastomids, all belonging to the family sebekidae and representing at least two genera and three species. sebekia okavangoensis riley & huchzermeyer, was present in the body cavity and lungs; the other two species were restricted to the lungs. alofia parva n.sp. (14 female female; 10 male ... | 1995 | 8628567 |
| use of a nerve locator to facilitate administration of mandibular nerve blocks in crocodilians. | as part of a clinical workup of dental problems in a large crocodilian collection, mandibular nerve blocks were performed in the animals. a nerve locator was used to facilitate placement of the nerve blocks in american alligators (alligator mississippiensis), yacare caiman (caiman yacare), and a dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis). provision of analgesia is a frequently underused aspect of patient care in reptiles. use of a nerve stimulator provides an objective measurement of nerve conducti ... | 2006 | 17319144 |
| similarity of crocodilian and avian lungs indicates unidirectional flow is ancestral for archosaurs. | patterns of airflow and pulmonary anatomy were studied in the american alligator (alligator mississippiensis), the black caiman (melanosuchus niger), the spectacled caiman (caiman crocodilus), the dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis), the saltwater crocodile (crocodylus porosus), the nile crocodile (crocodylus niloticus), and morelet's crocodile (crocodylus moreletii). in addition, anatomy was studied in the orinoco crocodile (crocodylus intermedius). airflow was measured using heated thermis ... | 2015 | 26141868 |
| the phylogeography of trypanosomes from south american alligatorids and african crocodilids is consistent with the geological history of south american river basins and the transoceanic dispersal of crocodylus at the miocene. | little is known about the diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and biogeography of trypanosomes infecting non-mammalian hosts. in this study, we investigated the influence of host species and biogeography on shaping the genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationship, and distribution of trypanosomes from south american alligatorids and african crocodilids. | 2013 | 24499634 |
| parasitic infections of the african dwarf crocodile (osteolaemus tetraspis) and the ornate nile monitor (varanus ornatus) from nigeria. | the parasitic infections of market derived osteolaemus tetraspis from the rainforest and varanus ornatus from locations in the savanna-mosaic and the rainforest of southern nigeria were investigated. parasites recovered from o. tetraspis included members of the pentastomida, trematoda and nematoda. an undescribed pentastomid belonging to the family sebekidae was recovered from o. tetraspis. the same parasite was also found to parasitize v. ornatus from the rainforest. other parasites found in o. ... | 2013 | 23666655 |
| limb proportions show developmental plasticity in response to embryo movement. | animals have evolved limb proportions adapted to different environments, but it is not yet clear to what extent these proportions are directly influenced by the environment during prenatal development. the developing skeleton experiences mechanical loading resulting from embryo movement. we tested the hypothesis that environmentally-induced changes in prenatal movement influence embryonic limb growth to alter proportions. we show that incubation temperature influences motility and limb bone grow ... | 2017 | 28165010 |
| check-list of the pentastomid parasites crocodilians and freshwater chelonians. | based on published records and own data a summary is given of the geographical distribution of the currently known species of pentastomid parasites infecting crocodiles and alligators, as well as freshwater chelonians. a brief generic diagnosis is provided for each genus. fourteen out of the currently 23 living crocodilian species have been recorded as being host to one or more pentastomes. out of the 32 pentastome species six are considered species inquirendae. presently, six genera of crocodil ... | 2006 | 16715876 |