The Effect of Long Term Captivity on Stress Levels in Anolis carolinensis Lizards.

ABSTRACT

The effect of long term captivity is a factor that is important for all research utilizing wild caught animals. Despite the fact that it can be considered to be one of the most fundamental potential sources of stress in captivity, it has received a low amount of interest in recent research on lizards. Given the wide variety in ecology and life history among lizards species, it would make sense to investigate the effect of long term captivity on wild caught lizards on a broader scale. In this study we investigated the effect of long term captivity (four months) on the physiology and behavior of male and female Anolis carolinensis lizards. Our results showed no negative effects of four months of captivity on physiological and behavioral measurements in male A carolinensis lizards. Similar results for females were found for all measurements except body mass and tail width. Here our results indicated a potential negative effect of four months of captivity on body mass and tail width in females.