Thermic variation in incubation and development of pantanal Caiman (Caiman crocodilus yacare) (Daudin, 1802) kept in metabolic box

摘要

Thirty-two eggs of Pantanal caiman (Caiman crocodilus yacare) (Daudin, 1802) were incubated at 30degreesC. After 20 days of incubation at 30degreesC, the remaining eggs were distributed in the following way: seven at 34degreesC, seven at 32degreesC, six at 30degreesC and six at 28degreesC. At 32degreesC and 34degreesC a 100% hatchability was obtained while at 30degreesC 83.3% and at 28degreesC 66.6%. After hatching, the animals were kept for 120 days at the same temperature of their final incubation. Weight (g) control and morphometric (cm) analysis were carried out. The statistic design was totally randomized and the data were treated by regression analysis showing a quadratic behavior (p<0.05). It was found that weight, total length (TTL), tail length (TL), snout- vent length (SVL), head length (HL), eye length (EL), snout length (SL), midpoint snout width (MSW), head width (HW), width of snout at nostrils (NW), distance between limbs (DBL) showed a higher development at the temperature range from 31.2degreesC to 31.8degreesC and circumference of belly at 30.0degreesC.