Resumen

SEIJAS, Andrés E.; CUEVAS L, Hilda  y  GONZALEZ, Néstor. Adaptación al medio natural de babas (caiman crocodilus) criadas en cautiverio. INCI [online]. 2003, vol.28, n.6, pp.340-346. ISSN 0378-1844.

The adaptation to the natural environment of the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) raised in captivity and released before the dry season (november-december 1992, 676 individuals) and at the beginning of the rainy season (April-July 1993, 496 individuals) in water bodies of El Cedral ranch, Apure state, Venezuela, was evaluated. The recapture of 210 individuals, between 26 and 523 days after their release, was used to calculate changes in relative fatness, growth rates in their natural habitat, and prevalence of injuries. One hundred and fifteen (115) wild caimans captured in the study area were used as control group. Analyses with a relative fatness index showed that both wild and captive raised caimans lost weight during the dry season, and grew at a very low rate during the dry season, as compared to the growth rate of individuals released at the beginning of the rainy season. Nine out of 78 (11.5%) caimans released with complete tails (16 or more rows in the single crested caudal whorl) lost part of them, presumably due to inter and intraspecific interaction, between three and 17 months after their release. This percentage is lower than the one found in wild caimans of similar sizes, for which 22.8% had lost part of their tail. The results indicated a high adaptability of caimans raised in captivity to the natural environment, and support this procedure as a strategy for the recovery of overexploited or locally extinct populations.

Palabras clave : Caiman crocodilus ; Manejo de Fauna ; Zoocría .