Abstract

PARACHU MARCO, María V; PINA, Carlos I  and  LARRIERA, Alejandro. Food conversion rate (FCR) in Caiman latirostris resulted more efficient at higher temperatures. INCI [online]. 2009, vol.34, n.6, pp.428-431. ISSN 0378-1844.

The effects of temperature on the growth of Caiman latirostris were investigated in order to evaluate the efficiency of food conversion at 29 and 33°C. Sixty-eight captive raised animals, two months old, taken from four nests, were used. All groups were maintained up to 70 or 72 days in similar environmental treatments except for temperature. Animals maintained at 33°C reached greater body mass (BM) and total length (TL) than those maintained at 29°C. A more efficient nutritional conversion rate was found in animals kept at 33°C. The increase of temperature could improve the amount of energy extracted from food, producing a more efficient FCR.

Keywords : Alligatoridae; Broad-snouted Caiman; Crocodylia; Food Consumption; Growth.