Coleta seminal de cascavel (Crotallus durissus cascavella Wagner in spix, 1824) mantida em cativeiro

Abstract

The rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) has a wide distribution in Brazilian territory, and is in a conservation status of little concern, however, with the increase in human expansion these animals present a significant reduction in the number of individuals, making it necessary to use means that can assist in the conservation of the species, such as the development of techniques for collecting reproductive material for the application of reproductive biotechnology, therefore, this work aimed to collect and evaluate the semen of a male rattlesnake kept in captivity. The animal used in this experiment is an elderly male, kept at the Museu Vivo dos Répteis da Caatinga, located in the city of Puxinanã, in Paraíba. For collection, the animal was contained in an acrylic tube, followed by anesthesia. site in the cloacal region, after the anesthetic relaxed the animal's cloaca, interdigital massage was performed on the final third of the animal, in order to stimulate the exposure of the hemipenis and ejaculation, with the hemipenis exposed, a capillary tube was inserted into the region of the genital papilla and the semen was aspirated, after collected, the seminal material was evaluated for the characteristics of color, appearance, odor, vigor, motility, concentration, pH, morphology and sperm defects. The semen had an ivory color, and a creamy and viscous appearance, with a sui generis odor. Regarding microscopic characteristics, the semen presented similar parameters to other species. Therefore, this specimen is duly capable of being part of species conservation program squads, thus aiming to increase the number of these animals in the wild.