Publicaties

In recent times, Devriesea agamarum has been diagnosed more frequently as the causative organism of dermatitis in lizards, particularly in spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx sp.). Other lizard species such as bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are known to be asymptomatic carriers, posing a potential threat
to the healthy animals in a collection. This study reports on the isolation and phenotypic identification of D. agamarum from six healthy ...

Research on age-related changes in morphology, social behavior, and cognition suggests that the development of bonobos (Pan paniscus) is delayed in comparison to chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). However, there is also evidence for earlier reproductive maturation in bonobos. Since developmental changes such as reproductive maturation are induced by a number of endocrine processes, changes in hormone levels are indicators of different developmental ...

It is an ongoing interdisciplinary pursuit to identify the factors shaping the emergence and maintenance of tool technology. Field studies of several primate taxa have shown that tool using behaviors vary within and between populations. While similarity in tools over spatial and temporal scales may be the product of socially learned skills, it may also reflect adoption of convergent strategies that are tailored to specific prey features. Much ...

The African walnut (Coula edulis) is a tree species of African evergreen forests, the seeds of which are collected and traded by African people. Many animal species consume African walnut diaspores; however, their roles as dispersers or predators have yet to be clarified. In this study, we present observations conducted in two different habitats of a Gabonese region over a 3-year period. The originality of this research resides in the ...

Research on emerging infectious wildlife diseases has placed particular emphasis on host-derived barriers to infection and disease. This focus neglects important extrinsic determinants of the host/pathogen dynamic, where all barriers to infection should be considered when ascertaining the determinants of infectivity and pathogenicity of wildlife pathogens [1-3]. Those pathogens with free-living stages, such as fungi causing catastrophic wildlife ...

We examined 834 nests built by western lowland gorillas in Cameroon between July 2008 and July 2011 to identify the plant species used in their construction. Preference for each plant species for nesting was assessed using a 'preference index' calculated by combining information on the occurrence of each species in the forest and in the nests. Forty-six plant species representing about 15 % of the total number of species in the forest and 26 % ...

We present information on age related changes of thyroid hormone levels in bonobos (N = 96) and chimpanzees (N = 100) ranging between one and 56 years of age. Fresh urine samples were used for hormone measurements with a commercial competitive total triiodothyronine (T3) ELISA. In both species, immature individuals had higher TT3 levels than adults and there was a marked decrease in TT3 levels between age classes. The two species differed in ...

Glucosuria in okapis (Okapia johnstoni) was first documented in 1980, yet the etiology remains unclear. In August 2006, an attempt to lower glucosuria in captive okapi by diet modification (omitting all fruit and adding unmolassed beet pulp) was started at the Antwerp Zoo. To study the possible relationship between glucosuria and diet, stress, and/or pregnancy, four okapis were monitored over a period of 4.5 yr. One animal, born in 2006, became ...