{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T11:31:16Z","timestamp":1791286276980,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,25]],"date-time":"2021-04-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1619308800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":114,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ecoventura"},{"name":"Houston Zoo, Galapagos Conservation Trust"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007691","name":"Charles Darwin Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Chelonian Conservation"},{"name":"Saint Louis Zoo","award":["FRC#2018.03"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FRC#2018.03"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Reference intervals (RIs) are an increasingly valuable tool for monitoring captive and free-living wildlife populations. Galapagos tortoises are one of the most emblematic species on Earth with 9 of the 12 extant species considered endangered due to human activities. As part of a long-term health assessment within the Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme, we sampled a total of 210 free-living Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis porteri). We collected blood from the brachial vein and performed packed cell volume (PCV), total solids (TS), morphological evaluation, white blood cell (WBC) count estimates and differentials and a VetScan biochemistry panel for each individual. We calculated 95% RIs and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) using the Reference Value Advisor tool and following international standard guidelines. Tortoises were categorized by estimated age and sex, with RI and CI reported here for 164 adult tortoises and 46 sub-adult tortoises. We found significant differences between sexes, with adult females presenting a lower PCV and higher values for both calcium and potassium. Among age groups, adult tortoises presented higher PCV, TS and albumin and lower WBC counts, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase than sub-adult tortoises. We also found that tortoises presented higher numbers of lymphocytes during the dry season, but higher basophils, eosinophils, phosphorus, potassium and TS during the humid season. The heterophil:lymphocyte ratio did not differ between groups. To the authors\u2019 knowledge, this is the first report of formal plasma biochemistry and haematology RI for free-living Galapagos tortoises. With the present study we provide an important diagnostic tool for captive-breeding programs in the Galapagos and zoological institutions globally that care for giant tortoises. The ultimate goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of giant tortoise baseline health parameters and to inform local management decisions that help to conserve these emblematic species.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/conphys\/coab019","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,30]],"date-time":"2021-03-30T11:11:53Z","timestamp":1617102713000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Haematology and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for the critically endangered western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise (C<i>helonoidis porteri<\/i>)"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Ainoa","family":"Nieto-Claud\u00edn","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Ave., Santa Cruz, 200350, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador"},{"name":"Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, One Government Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA"},{"name":"Complutense University of Madrid, Veterinary Faculty, Puerta de Hierro Ave, Madrid, 28040, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jamie L","family":"Palmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, One Government Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fernando","family":"Esper\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Complutense University of Madrid, Veterinary Faculty, Puerta de Hierro Ave, Madrid, 28040, Spain"},{"name":"INIA-CISA, Algete-El Casar Road, Valdeolmos, 28130, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sharon L","family":"Deem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Ave., Santa Cruz, 200350, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador"},{"name":"Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, One Government Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.47051\/AQJU7348","volume-title":"Reptiles of the Gal\u00e1pagos: Life on the Enchanted Islands","author":"Arteaga","year":"2019"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref2","author":"ASVCP Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards Committee"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"585","DOI":"10.1638\/2009-0023.1","article-title":"Use of a portable point-of-care (Vetscan Vs2) biochemical analyzer for measuring plasma biochemical levels in free-living Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta)","volume":"41","author":"Atkins","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Zoo Wildl Med"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1002\/ecy.2658","article-title":"Migration triggers in a large herbivore: Gal\u00e1pagos giant tortoises navigating resource gradients on volcanoes","volume":"100","author":"Bastille-Rousseau","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ecology"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"246","DOI":"10.1111\/btp.12195","article-title":"The dominance of introduced plant species in the diets of migratory Galapagos tortoises increases with elevation on a human-occupied Island","volume":"47","author":"Blake","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biotropica"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1961","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2699.2011.02672.x","article-title":"Seed dispersal by Galapagos tortoises","volume":"39","author":"Blake","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Biogeogr"},{"key":"2021070806584787500_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1002\/zoo.21518","article-title":"Assessment of hematologic and corticosterone response in free-living eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at capture 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