Cardiac response to stimulation and stress in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Amphibia Reptilia

Abstract

Previous descriptions of the direction (tachycardia versus bradycardia), magnitude, and duration of the cardiac stimulation/stress response of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) have been contradictory. Superficial EKG leads were used to quantify heart rate while presenting a graded series of stimuli to a cohort of 5 sub-adult alligators. Only tachycardic responses were recorded. Stress (manual restraint and transport) induced a nearly 3-fold increase over the resting heart rate (∼17 bpm), which decreased only 7 bpm over 40 minutes in a stimulus-free environment. Lower-level stimulation (i.e., exposure to room light) produced a significantly smaller response than did higher-level stimulation (i.e., physical contact), both responses were transitory, lasting approximately 120 s.

First Page

547

Last Page

551

DOI

10.1163/15685381-bja10013

Publication Date

1-1-2020

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