Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tomasz Szara, Ebuderda Gunay, Ilayda Boz, Berke Batmankaya, Hilal Gencer, Gokhan Gun, Ezgi Can Vatansever Celik, Ozan Gundemir
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether the sex of penguins can be recognized by the shape of their bills. Geometric morphometric methods were used to analyze photos of African penguins and reveal sex and population differences. The results showed that the lateral view of the bill was more effective in revealing differences between groups and sexes. Geometric morphometric methods provide a less invasive way to analyze the sex of birds, but the impact of environmental factors on bill variation needs further examination.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
I. A. Micklem, M. Connan, N. Stander, C. D. McQuaid
Summary: This study investigated the influence of consumer ontogeny on stable isotope ratios and trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) in African penguins. The results showed that age class affected the stable isotope compositions of whole blood and red blood cells, with chicks and fledglings exhibiting lower delta C-13 and delta N-15 values than juveniles and adults. Plasma, however, demonstrated no effect of ontogeny.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Juan Scheun, Rebecca J. Miller, Andre Ganswindt, Lauren J. Waller, Lorien Pichegru, Richard B. Sherley, Gavin W. Maneveldt
Summary: Research showed that African penguin chicks in areas with less human disturbance had higher levels of urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolites, indicating that frequent human activity may lead to habituation in penguin chicks. Additionally, long-term anthropogenic activities could have physiological effects on African penguins.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Livio Favaro, Eleonora Cresta, Olivier Friard, Katrin Ludynia, Nicolas Mathevon, Lorien Pichegru, David Reby, Marco Gamba
Summary: The study collected soundscape recordings of African Penguins to document their vocal activity patterns during the breeding season, finding that most display songs occurred in the early morning and late evening, with the Acoustic Entropy Index being a good predictor of song numbers.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Fiona Froehlich, Neil Forbes, Daniel Calvo Carrasco, Katta Ludynia, Nola J. Parsons, Rebekah Dutton Worsfold, Tom Dutton
Summary: This study investigated the short-term effects of two different diets on the weight gain of African penguin chicks and found that both diets resulted in similar weight increase.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Barbara J. Mangold, Jennifer E. Flower, Kristine E. Burgess, Elizabeth A. McNiel, Jeffrey C. Phillips, Luis M. Lembcke, Allison D. Tuttle
Summary: This case report describes a 25-year-old African penguin with malignant melanoma. Treatment with meloxicam, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy was successful in controlling the disease, as evidenced by a positive immune response. The penguin died of unrelated causes without evidence of metastasis.
JAVMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Albert Snyman, David G. Roberts, Katrin Ludynia
Summary: We present a case of an African Penguin chick found in Stony Point, South Africa, with two additional feet, one located near the cloaca between the left foot and the tail, and the other positioned just behind the left foot.
MARINE ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Natasha J. Gownaris, P. Dee Boersma
Summary: This study examined energy allocation patterns in Magellanic penguin chicks using a 34-year dataset, revealing insights into skeletal feature growth, size and shape variations, and responses to periods of high energy constraints. The findings demonstrated the prioritization of mass storage in chicks to avoid starvation, as well as the rapid growth of skeletal features.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Chiara Palmieri, Claudia Niemeyer, Michael J. Murray, Ana Carolina Ewbank, H. L. Shivaprasad
Summary: A 9-year-old female black-footed African penguin died due to fibrous osteodystrophy with osteomalacia and parathyroid enlargement. This was likely caused by inadequate calcium supplementation during egg laying and insufficient photoperiod.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Eleanor L. Taylor, Edmund J. Flach, Taina Strike, Camilla T. O. Benfield, Amanda Ferguson, Simon Spiro, Stamatios A. Tahas
Summary: The study revealed that yolk sac retention is a common condition in captive Humboldt penguins, with chicks that retained their yolk sac more likely to present with specific symptoms and characteristics. Possible factors contributing to this condition include parental neglect, which can lead to starvation and absorption arrest of the yolk sac.
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ivana H. Levy, David Sanchez-Migallon Guzman, Molly Gleeson, Molly Liepnieks, Michael Murray, Brian Murphy, Bill Vernau
Summary: A 2-year-old African penguin was presented to a veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of marked regenerative anemia. The diagnostic tests could not determine the cause of biliverdinuria and pale oral mucous membranes. Despite treatment, the penguin's condition deteriorated due to small cell lymphoma, ultimately leading to euthanasia.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Esther Sanchez-Villalba, Eileen Aglahe Corral-March, Martin Valenzuela-Melendres, Libertad Zamorano-Garcia, Hernan Celaya-Michel, Andres Ochoa-Meza, Humberto Gonzalez-Rios, Miguel Angel Barrera-Silva
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of chromium methionine (CrMet) and ractopamine (RAC) dietary supplementation on pigs in the growing-finishing stage under heat stress. The results showed that RAC supplementation improved productive behavior and carcass characteristics, while RAC and CrMet supplementation had similar effects on weight gain, carcass quality, blood components, organ weight, and meat quality. The addition of CrMet-S had a moderate increase in productive performance and carcass weight. These findings suggest that CrMet may be a potential alternative for growth promotion, but further research is needed.
Article
Oceanography
M. H. M. Salleh, S. M. Nor
Summary: A Malaysian aquaria brought in 14 African penguins for ex-situ conservation and successfully bred them. The management of the penguins at the aquaria was evaluated, revealing some weaknesses in feeding quantity.
INDIAN JOURNAL OF GEO-MARINE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
D. Duhra, F. Buchanan, R. Newkirk, K. Schwean-Lardner
Summary: This study found that yellow mealworm larvae grown on deoxynivalenol contaminated wheat did not affect the performance of broiler chickens. In fact, including the larvae in the chicken diets at a proper ratio could convert salvage wheat into a safe and sustainable protein source.
JOURNAL OF INSECTS AS FOOD AND FEED
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lan Li, Xiaoyi Zhang, Jiatu Zhang, Meiling Liu, Lihong Zhao, Cheng Ji, Jianyun Zhang, Shimeng Huang, Qiugang Ma
Summary: Different phosphorus levels in chicks' diet have significant effects on growth, bone development, phosphorus metabolism, and gut microbiota. Low-phosphorus diets inhibit growth and bone development, while the addition of phytase can mitigate these adverse effects.