Unfolding the diagnosis of subspectacular fluid opacity in a corn snake ( Pantherophis guttatus )

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 754-759
Author(s):  
Allison M. Cleymaet ◽  
EJ Ehrhart ◽  
Miranda J. Sadar ◽  
Matthew Johnston ◽  
Kathryn Wotman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corn Snake

247 SUCCESSFUL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN THE CORN SNAKE (ELAPHE GUTATTA), USING FRESH AND COOLED SEMEN

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 240 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Mattson ◽  
A. T. DeVries ◽  
S. M. McGuire ◽  
J. Krebs ◽  
E. E. Louis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Isoamyl Alcohol ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Microcentrifuge Tube ◽  
Tuberculin Syringe ◽  
Potential Damage ◽  
Corn Snake ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline ◽  
Parentage Test

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a non-invasive technique to artificially inseminate snakes using the corn snake, Elaphe gutatta, as the model representative for this taxon. Semen was collected by first applying pressure to the lower abdomen in a continuous distal motion toward the cloaca to remove any feces or urates. The cloaca was then gently washed using phosphate-buffered saline, and a more localized pressure was applied to each side of the vent to evert the hemipenes and, subsequently, the ejaculate. The semen was collected using a sterile transfer pipette and placed into 70 to 90 �L of medium (TL-HEPES solution; Cambrex Bio Science, Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA04–616F) in a sterile microcentrifuge tube, and then analyzed for overall motility, rate of forward progression (RFP, 0–5), and concentration. Based on a previously reported procedure, 10 females were inseminated with either fresh (n = 5) or cooled semen (n = 5; refrigerated for 3 days) one week after recovering from a hibernation period required to stimulate reproduction in this species. The overall sperm motility and concentration for females inseminated with fresh or cooled semen was 92%, 9.6 million sperm mL-1; and 85%, 6.1 million sperm mL-1, respectively. Immediately prior to insemination, the same method for expressing feces and urates in the males was applied to the females. The insemination dose (50 �L semen per oviduct) was drawn into a 1-mL latex- and silicone-free tuberculin syringe (Norm-Ject; VWR, Batavia, IL, USA) that was connected to a feeding/dosing needle (EJAY International, Issaquah, WA, USA) with a ball tip to prevent any potential damage during the insemination. The tip of the needle was then moved around the inner tissue of the vent to relax the cloaca, and the insertion continued until resistance was found indicating the vicinity of the oviducts. The extended semen was carefully deposited on both sides, and then the needle was slowly withdrawn. The offspring were tested for parentage to verify the success of the insemination. Blood was collected from the dorsal aorta posterior to the cloaca and stored in 10 mM Tris at 4�C. The DNA was extracted using a phenyl : chloroform : isoamyl alcohol (PCI) extraction method. Eight microsatellite loci were used for the paternity exclusion analysis: Eob�1, Eob�3, Eob�10, Eob�13, Eob�16, Eob�34, Eob�366, and Eob�373 (IDT, Coraville, IA, USA). All males and females in the collection were tested, and parental candidates were excluded if 2 or more allele mismatches occurred. From the total number of females inseminated, 3 females laid 51 eggs. Two females inseminated with cooled semen laid 36 eggs, of which 5 eggs were hatched, and the remaining were either unfertilized (n = 25) or non-viable (n = 6). All 5 hatched eggs were laid by one of the females. The third female inseminated with fresh semen laid 15 eggs, resulting in 5 hatching and 10 unfertilized eggs. The parentage test validated the AI a success as the alleles correlated between the adults and the offspring. In conclusion, artificial insemination was successful using both freshly collected and cooled (3 days) semen. Further studies are underway to improve the success rate in order to maximize the efficiency of this technology, and thus assist in the genetic preservation of endangered snake species.

A Ticking Time Bomb: Is the illegal pet trade a pathway for the establishment of Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata) populations in Australia?

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. McFadden ◽  
Philip Topham ◽  
Peter S. Harlow
Keyword(s):  
Pet Trade ◽  
Corn Snake ◽  
Elaphe Guttata

Successful artificial insemination in the corn snake,Elaphe gutatta, using fresh and cooled semen

Zoo Biology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelli J. Mattson ◽  
Alyse De Vries ◽  
Susie M. McGuire ◽  
Jessi Krebs ◽  
Edward E. Louis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Corn Snake

Observations on Mating in the Corn Snake, Elaphe guttata guttata

Copeia ◽  
1957 ◽  
Vol 1957 (3) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. MacMahon
Keyword(s):  
Corn Snake ◽  
Elaphe Guttata

scholarly journals Student perceptions after touching vs. holding educational animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-124
Author(s):  
Lauryn Gilmer ◽  
Nick Fuhrman
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Eastern Box Turtle ◽  
Box Turtle ◽  
Corn Snake

Educators often use reptiles as ambassadors of environmental messages during presentations because of their ease of transport and handling. Although learners may be provided opportunities to touch or hold these animals, this presents a variety of safety and liability issues for the learner and animal. Little is known about whether touching or holding an animal influences perceptions of the animal and related environmental issues. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of 16 fifth grade students who experienced a live, tactile encounter with a corn snake and Eastern box turtle while participating in an educational class using four focus groups. Regardless of whether students touched the snake or turtle, or fully held the animal, participants noted the uniqueness of the experience and their empathy for the animal and its habitat. Students who fully held the animal thought that they learned more during the experience while students who touched the animal mentioned getting to know the animal better, regardless of whether the animal was a snake or turtle. When learners are unable to completely hold a snake or turtle, educators should consider the equally positive outcomes that can result from touching these animals with two fingers and provide opportunities for such experiences.   

scholarly journals Shed skin as a source of DNA for genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) in reptiles

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D Brekke ◽  
Liam Shier ◽  
Matthew J Hegarty ◽  
John F Mulley
Keyword(s):  
Genotyping By Sequencing ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Good Source ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Reduced Representation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Corn Snake ◽  
Skin Samples ◽  
Transitions And Transversions

AbstractAssociation and genetic mapping studies aimed at linking genotype to phenotype are powerful tools that require large numbers of samples, complicating their use in long-lived species with low fecundity. Shed skins of snakes and other reptiles contain DNA; are a safe and ethical way of non-invasively sampling large numbers of individuals; and provide a simple mechanism by which to involve the public in scientific research. Here we test whether the DNA in dried shed skins mailed to us from citizen scientists is suitable for reduced representation sequencing approaches, specifically genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). We find that shed skin samples provide DNA of sufficient quality and quantity for GBS, although libraries from shed skin resulted in fewer sequenced reads than libraries from snap-frozen muscle, and contained slightly fewer variants (70,685 SNPs versus 97,724). This issue is a direct result of lower read counts of the shed skin samples, and can be rectified quite simply with deeper sequencing. Skin-derived libraries also have a very slight (but significantly different) profile of transitions and transversions, suggesting that DNA damage occurs but is minimal. We conclude that shed skin-derived DNA is a good source of genomic DNA for a variety of genetic studies, and use it to identify sex-linked scaffolds in the corn snake genome.

CARDIAC HEMANGIOMA IN A CORN SNAKE (PANTHEROPHIS GUTTATUS)

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 360-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Job Benjamin Gérard Stumpel ◽  
Jorge del-Pozo ◽  
Anne French ◽  
Kevin Eatwell
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Hemangioma ◽  
Corn Snake
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