• Regionally endothermic traits in planktivorous basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus 

  Dolton, Haley R.; Jackson, Andrew L.; Deaville, Robert; Hall, Jackie; McManus, Gavin; Perkins, Matthew W.; Rolfe, Rebecca A.; Snelling, Edward P.; Houghton, Jonathan D.R.; Sims, David W.; Payne, Nicholas L. (Inter-Research Science Publisher, 2023-07-20)

  Few fast-swimming apex fishes are classified as ‘regional endotherms’, having evolved a relatively uncommon suite of traits (e.g. elevated body temperatures, centralised red muscle, and thick-walled hearts) thought to ...
• Habitat, space use and feeding ecology of the African buffalo 

  Taylor, R.; Bennitt, E.; Fynn, R.; Korte, L.; Naidoo, R.; Roug, Annette; Cornelis, D. (Cambridge University Press, 2023-11)

  African buffalo herd size varies across their distribution range from as few as 5–10 in the rainforests of West and Central Africa to as many as 2000 individuals in the floodplains of eastern and southern Africa. The home ...
• Unravelling the diversity of Anaplasma species circulating in selected African wildlife hosts by targeted 16S microbiome analysis 

  Makgabo, Marcus; Brayton, Kelly A.; Oosthuizen, Marinda; Collins, Nicola E. (Elsevier, 2023)

  Organisms in the genus Anaplasma are obligate intracellular alphaproteobacteria. Bovine anaplasmosis, predominantly caused by Anaplasma marginale, is the most prevalent tick-borne disease (TBD) of cattle worldwide. Other ...
• Effects of three immobilizing drug combinations on ventilation, gas exchange and metabolism in free-living African lions (Panthera leo) 

  Donaldson, Ashleigh C.; Buss, Peter Erik; Fuller, Andrea; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney (Oxford University Press, 2023-01)

  Free-living lions (12 per group) were immobilized with tiletamine-zolazepam-medetomidine (TZM), ketamine-medetomidine (KM), or ketamine-butorphanol-medetomidine (KBM). During immobilization, respiratory, blood gas and ...
• Capture and transport of white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) cause shifts in their fecal microbiota composition towards dysbiosis 

  Pohlin, Friederike; Frei, Carolin; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney; Roch, Franz-Ferdinand; Quijada, Narciso M.; Conrady, Beate; Neubauer, Viktoria; Hofmeyr, Markus; Cooper, Dave; Stalder, Gabrielle; Wetzels, Stefanie U. (Oxford University Press, 2023-01)

  Translocations of Rhinocerotidae are commonly performed for conservation purposes but expose the animals to a variety of stressors (e.g. prolonged fasting, confinement, novel environment, etc.). Stress may change the ...
• Comparison of the cardiovascular effects of immobilization with three different drug combinations in free-ranging African lions 

  Donaldson, Ashleigh C.; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney; Fuller, Andrea; Buss, Peter (Oxford University Press, 2023-01)

  Thirty-six free-ranging lions (12 per group) were immobilized with tiletamine–zolazepam (Zoletil 0.6 mg/kg i.m.) plus medetomidine (0.036 mg/kg i.m.) (TZM), ketamine (3.0 mg/kg i.m.) plus medetomidine (0.036 mg/kg i.m.) ...
• Temminck pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment 

  Panaino, Wendy; Parrin, Francesca; Kamerman, Peter R.; Hetem, Robyn S.; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney; Smith, Dylan; VanDyk, Gus; Fuller, Andrea (Oxford University Press, 2023)

  Climate change is impacting mammals both directly (for example, through increased heat) and indirectly (for example, through altered food resources). Understanding the physiological and behavioural responses of mammals in ...
• Cooling by dousing with cold water does not alter the pathophysiological biochemical changes induced by capture in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) 

  Leiberich, Marion; Fitte, Agustina; Burroughs, Richard E.J.; Steyl, Johan; Goddard, Amelia; Haw, Anna Jean; Boesch, Jordyn M.; Kohn, Tertius Abraham; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney (Wildlife Disease Association, 2023)

  Wild animals are commonly captured for conservation, research, and wildlife management purposes. However, capture is associated with a high risk of morbidity or mortality. Capture-induced hyperthermia is a commonly encountered ...
• Tradeoffs between resources and risks shape the responses of a large carnivore to human disturbance 

  Mills, Kirby L.; Belant, Jerrold L.; Beukes, Maya; Droge, Egil; Everatt, Kristoffer T.; Fyumagwa, Robert; Green, David S.; Hayward, Matt W.; Holekamp, Kay E.; Radloff, F.G.T.; Spong, Goran; Suraci, Justin P.; Van der Weyde, Leanne K.; Wilmers, Christopher C.; Carter, Neil H.; Sanders, Nathan J. (Nature Research, 2023-10-17)

  Wide-ranging carnivores experience tradeoffs between dynamic resource availabilities and heterogeneous risks from humans, with consequences for their ecological function and conservation outcomes. Yet, research investigating ...
• Q fever and toxoplasmosis in South African livestock and wildlife : a retrospective study on seropositivity, sporadic abortion, and stillbirth cases in livestock caused by Coxiella burnetii 

  Mangena, Maruping; Gcebe, Nomakorinte; Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.); Adesiyun, Abiodun Adewale (BMC, 2023-09-21)

  BACKGROUND : Q fever and toxoplasmosis are economically important zoonoses as they cause considerable losses in livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) and wildlife (antelopes, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs) through ...
• Centralized red muscle in Odontaspis ferox and the prevalence of regional endothermy in sharks 

  Dolton, Haley R.; Snelling, Edward P.; Deaville, Robert; Jackson, Andrew L.; Perkins, Matthew W.; Bortoluzzi, Jenny R.; Purves, Kevin; Curnick, David J.; Pimiento, Catalina; Payne, Nicholas L. (Royal Society, 2023-11)

  The order Lamniformes contains charismatic species such as the white shark Carcharodon carcharias and extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon, and is of particular interest given their influence on marine ecosystems, ...
• Mitochondrial genome sequence comparisons indicate that the elephant louse Haematomyzus elephantis (Piaget, 1869) contains cryptic species 

  Kelly, Sarah; Dong, Yalun; Wang, Wei; Matthee, Sonja; Wentzel, Jeanette Maria; Durden, Lance A.; Shao, Renfu (Wiley, 2024-03)

  The parvorder Rhynchopthirina contains three currently recognised species of lice that parasitize elephants (both African savanna elephant Loxodonta africana and Asian elephant Elephas maximus), desert warthogs (Phacochoerus ...
• Social media as a tool to understand the distribution and ecology of elusive mammals 

  Phakoago, Makabudi V.; Maloney, Shane K.; Kamerman, Peter R.; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney; Weyer, Nora M.; Fuller, Andrea (Oxford University Press, 2024-02)

  Comparatively little is known about the distribution and ecology of Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) and Temminck’s Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). Both are elusive species that are normally nocturnal, solitary, and ...
• Blood flow rate to the femur of extinct kangaroos implies a higher locomotor intensity compared to living hopping macropods 

  Hu, Qiaohui; Seymour, Roger S.; Snelling, Edward P.; Wells, Rod T. (Springer, 2024-01)

  The stocky skeletons and post-cranial anatomy of many extinct kangaroos indicate that they might have engaged in varied locomotor behaviors, rather than bipedal hopping, as their primary mode of locomotion. This study ...
• Vaccination of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) against high-pathogenicity avian influenza 

  Roberts, Laura Christl; Abernethy, D.A. (Darrell); Roberts, David Gordon; Ludynia, Katrin; O'Kennedy, Martha Magaretha; Abolnik, Celia (Wiley, 2024-01)

  BACKGROUND : High-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) has become a conservation threat to wild birds. Therefore, suitable vaccine technology and practical application methods require investigation. METHODS : Twenty-four ...
• The pathophysiology of rhabdomyolysis in ungulates and rats : towards the development of a rodent model of capture myopathy 

  Lubbe, Crystal; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney; Kohn, Tertius Abraham; Harvey, Brian H.; Wolmarans, De Wet (Springer, 2023-06)

  Capture myopathy (CM), which is associated with the capture and translocation of wildlife, is a life-threatening condition that causes noteworthy morbidity and mortality in captured animals. Such wildlife deaths have a ...
• Reliability of the enterprise point-of-care (EPOC) blood analyzer's calculated arterial oxygen-hemoglobin saturation in immobilized white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) 

  Mtetwa, Thembeka Kim; Snelling, Edward P.; Donaldson, Ashleigh C.; Buss, Peter Erik; Meyer, Leith Carl Rodney (Wiley, 2023-09)

  CONCLUSIONS: The EPOC cSaO2 is unreliable and should not be used to monitor blood oxygenation in immobilized white rhinoceroses.
• A cross-over dietary intervention in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) : investigating the effects of glycine supplementation on blood parameters 

  Van Boom, Kathryn Merle; Kohn, Tertius Abraham; Tordiffe, A.S.W. (Adrian Stephen Wolferstan) (Wiley, 2024-01)

  Captive cheetahs are prone to unusual diseases which may be attributed to their high muscle meat, collagen deficient captive diet. Glycine is a simple amino acid that is abundant in collagen rich tissues and has many ...
• Responses to reduced feeding frequency in captive-born cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) : implications for behavioural and physiological stress and gastrointestinal health 

  Brown, Kelsey Lee; Ganswindt, Andre; Steenkamp, Gerhard; Tordiffe, A.S.W. (Adrian Stephen Wolferstan) (MDPI, 2023-09)

  Unnatural diet composition and frequent feeding regimes may play an aetiological role in the multiple diseases prevalent in captive cheetahs. This study investigated the responses of captive-born (hand-reared) cheetahs ...
• Is penguin circovirus circulating only in the Antarctic circle? Lack of viral detection in Namibia 

  Roberts, Laura Christl; Molini, Umberto; Coetzee, Lauren M.; Khaiseb, Siegfried; Roux, Jean-Paul; Kemper, Jessica; Roberts, David G.; Ludynia, Katrin; Doher, Marcus; Abernethy, D.A. (Darrell); Franzo, Giovanni (MDPI, 2023-04)

  The known host range of circoviruses is continuously expanding because of more intensive diagnostic activities and advanced sequencing tools. Recently, a new circovirus (penguin circovirus (PenCV)) was identified in the ...

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