Observação comportamental de indivíduos da espécie Salvator Merianae (Teiú) em cativeiro semiextensivo no biotério de quelônios e lagartos e no reptário, Instituto Butantan

Abstract

The Teiidae family currently comprises 18 living genera. They are diurnal animals, foragers and earthlings with fossorial tendencies. The lizards belonging to the genus Salvator, are popularly known as teiús, are representatives of the largest saurians of the Americas, being able to reach 500mm of face-cloacal length. The species Salvator merianae corresponds to the largest lizard in Brazil, occurring throughout the Brazilian territory. They are omnivores, being generalists, opportunists and seed dispersers. S. merianae are seasonal, that is, they spend part of the year in activity, spring and summer, and go into hibernation during the fall and winter. The objective of this work is to observe the behavior of the species under study in the Biotério de Quelônios e Lagartos, semi-extensive captivity and in the Reptário, an exhibition site, both located in the Butantan Institute, taking into account four variables: thermoregulation, forage, repose and other activities, with the purpose of increasing the behavioral knowledge of these animals, due to the little existing knowledge on this subject. For this experiment 6 individuals were used, 5 males and 1 female, where in alternate pairs were taken to the Reptário and released so that they could be analyzed and their data annotated in individual sheets. The animals were always released on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the afternoon between 13hrs and 17hrs. The specimens were always manually contained and taken in transport boxes suitable for release in the Reptário and for withdrawals was made again manual containment. For the bioterium, observations were made on the other days of the week in the same period as the Reptário, between 13hrs and 17hrs, however all the specimens were observed at the same time considering the same variables for data collection. The results showed that the size of the enclosure exerts a direct influence on the activities performed by the animals and consequently their behavior. The closer to the natural environment of the animals the captivity is, the more the behavior will be close to those of the free living species.