Table 2 from Monitoring the reproductive activity in captive bred female ball pythons (P. regius) by ultrasound evaluation and noninvasive analysis of faecal reproductive hormone (progesterone and 17β-estradiol) metabolites trends | Semantic Scholar (2024)

In many animals 2–3 generations of atretic follicles were observed without indication of impairment to the development of the newest batch of follicles, suggesting follicular atresia need not necessarily lead to a pathological condition in veiled chameleons, at least not within a few consecutive cycles.

The follicular morphology, ovarian cycle and reproductive anatomy of the female Louisiana pinesnake is described in detail and markers of progressive follicular maturation for this species are developed and identified signs of abnormal development and post ovulatory follicle reabsorption.

The usefulness of fecal progesterone metabolite analysis as a non-invasive technique in monitoring reproductive function in animals is highlighted and the many opportunities and challenges associated with this analytical technique are focused on.

A survey of ball python breeders across the United States was conducted to quantitatively assess ball python ownership, including husbandry and breeding practices, and indicates that, despite this growing market, most snake breeders make no substantial income from the snakes they breed and instead rear snakes as a hobby.

The captive history data, together with the genetic microsatellite analysis approach, demonstrated the parthenogenetic origin of all three embryos, suggesting a terminal fusion automixis mode of development.

Ultrasonographic measurements of the liver, spleen, myocardial thickness, and right and left kidney length were highly repeatable and the esophagus, spleen, caudal vena cava, fat bodies, gallbladder, colon thickness, right kidney height and width, and right testicl* diameter were statistically repeatable.

It is suggested that Horsfield’s tortoises with such signs would benefit from this screening procedure, given that it was effective in a significant proportion of infected and symptomatic animals, and no negative effects were seen.

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This is the first study to report frequent longitudinal measurements of fecal hormone levels by EIA in a reptile species.

The results serve as a database of ovarian and testicular endocrine events in this species, which can be utilized in population management and application of assisted reproductive technologies.

The results suggest that assay of fecal T concentrations may not be useful for assessing reproductive status in blue-tongued lizards because of the lack of correlation between T concentrations in feces and plasma.

The reproductive activities of one adult female Galápagos tortoise and three adult female Aldabra tortoises were monitored over 2 yr using ultrasound scanning and developing, preovulatory, and atretic ovarian follicles, as well as eggs at various stages of shell deposition, were identified and measured.

The female lizards in this study were smaller than those in French and central European populations, they reached maturity at 50.9 mm and they laid few eggs, and some potential explanations for such differences are discussed.

This study demonstrates the use of ultrasonography and reproductive hormone analysis to assess phase of the reproductive cycle (pre- or post-ovulatory), or confirm ongoing follicular stasis in female veiled chameleons.

Using portable ultrasonography to serially estimate reproductive investment and reproductive output in three python species that exhibit significant variation in phylogeny, geographic range, body size, egg size, and clutch size suggests water balance during late-stage egg development may be an integral part of reproductive success.

Methods for monitoring and assessing reproductive status have been developed to allow both captive and free-ranging wildlife to be evaluated while avoiding chemical immobilization or physical restraint, and the current trend indicates increased application of these methods in this research area.

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