Science. – Some changes are difficult to detect in captive animals – Publimetro México

Madrid, 21 (Europe Press)

This is what a new review from the Australian National University (ANU) shows.

According to the study authors, the conditions that animals encounter in captivity are often very different from those they would encounter in the wild, which can cause them to change in several ways.

Some of these changes are obvious, but others are more difficult to detect, which may limit the effectiveness of relocation programs for threatened species. These changes, known as phenotypic changes, can take many different forms.

Examples include aquarium-raised fish that take on different body shapes, butterflies that forget how to migrate after being released into the wild, captive-bred lions that have weaker jaws due to soft foods, and highly intelligent marine mammals that suffer from poor health due to stress.

“The world is facing an extinction crisis, and many people are doing everything they can to save endangered species. Captive breeding and release will become an increasingly important tool for saving species from extinction.” study, in a statement.

“But our review shows that captive breeding of animals can sometimes lead to unexpected changes that may harm them after they are released into the wild. If captive animals change to such an extent that they have difficulty surviving and reproducing in the wild, then we need to take a hard look at why.” appearance of this problem and how to solve it.

It is not yet clear exactly what aspects of captive life might lead to these changes.

“It is also unclear exactly what effects these changes might have on the recovery of endangered wild populations,” said study co-authors Dr Ross Creats and Professor Rob Henson.

“Importantly, we hope our review shows that there are a variety of opportunities to study why these changes occur, what the effects are, and how we can address them to help give captive-bred animals the best possible chance of thriving in the wild.”

The study has been published in the journal Biological Reviews.