{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,21]],"date-time":"2026-02-21T20:33:42Z","timestamp":1771706022745,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,21]],"date-time":"2025-04-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745193600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Zoo Biology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:p>The giant anteater (<jats:italic>Myrmecophaga tridactyla<\/jats:italic>) is a unique species in risk of extinction nationally and internationally due to ongoing environmental and anthropogenic pressures, therefore requiring continuous conservation efforts. Under human care, obesity and nutrition\u2010related diseases are major concerns. Body condition scoring (BCS) is an important tool for assessing animal fitness in natural and ex situ environments. This study aims to evaluate the applicability and reliability of BCS and morphometric measures, associated with ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), as tools to estimate the body condition of giant anteaters. Twenty free\u2010ranging and twenty\u2010two zoo\u2010kept giant anteaters were assessed. The animals were weighed and classified by BCS, followed by biometric measurements and calculations of two body condition indices\u2014the ratio index (RI) and the condition index 2 (ICC2). Subcutaneous fat measurements were taken by ultrasound in the lumbar, hip and flank of the captive anteaters. Captive animals exhibited higher body mass, BCS, measures of forearm, thorax, abdomen, neck, femur, tibia, humerus, RI and ICC2 compared to their free\u2010ranging counterparts. Body mass correlated positively with all parameters except SFT. BCS showed moderate to strong correlations with body mass, RI, ICC2, thoracic, and abdominal circumferences. SFT correlated with BCS. Free\u2010ranging anteaters consistently showed moderate BCS, while captive ones ranged from lean to obese, with relevant subcutaneous fat accumulation in the flank and hip. The resulting BCS protocol for the species was considered adequate to evaluate nutritional status under both free\u2010range and managed\u2010care conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/zoo.21901","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,21]],"date-time":"2025-04-21T04:57:41Z","timestamp":1745211461000},"page":"345-352","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evaluation and Ultrasonographic Validation of the Body Condition Score in Giant Anteaters (<i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla<\/i> Linnaeus, 1758<i>)<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"44","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3718-5451","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernanda Mara Arag\u00e3o Macedo","family":"Pereira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Clinics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science S\u00e3o Paulo State University Botucatu S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexandre Luiz da Costa","family":"Bicudo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alexandre Bicudo Veterinary Diagnostics Bauru S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Danyele Karoline Avante","family":"Mangueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Clinics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science S\u00e3o Paulo State University Botucatu S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"D\u00e9bora Regina","family":"Yogui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wild Animal Conservation Institute \u2013 ICAS Campo Grande Mato Grosso do Sul Brazil"},{"name":"Nashville Zoo at Grassmere Nashville Tennessee USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Miri\u00e3 Ribeiro","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wild Animal Conservation Institute \u2013 ICAS Campo Grande Mato Grosso do Sul Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arnaud Leonard Jean","family":"Desbiez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wild Animal Conservation Institute \u2013 ICAS Campo Grande Mato Grosso do Sul Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carolyne Assis Engenheer Pinke","family":"Testa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Clinics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science S\u00e3o Paulo State University Botucatu S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Priscylla Tatiana Chalfun","family":"Guimar\u00e3es\u2010Okamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Clinics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science S\u00e3o Paulo State University Botucatu S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ellen Sue","family":"Dierenfeld","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zootrition Animal Nutrition Consulting Saint Louis Missouri USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessandra","family":"Melchert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Clinics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science S\u00e3o Paulo State University Botucatu S\u00e3o Paulo Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","first-page":"517","volume-title":"Xenarthra, Erinacoemorpha, Some Afrotheria, and Phloidota","author":"Agnew D.","year":"2018"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","first-page":"355","volume-title":"Fowler's Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine","author":"Aguillar R. 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