Pascual Calabuig

Citrobacter freundii, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, has been sporadically reported in sea turtles. Here, the authors describe 3 unusual lesions associated with C. freundii infection in 3 loggerhead sea turtles stranded on the coast of Gran Canaria Island, Spain. It is possible that these 3 distinct...

The short bibliography referring to the anatomy and pathology of the eyeball of turtles poses a challenge for veterinarians and conservationists given the increasing presence of this type of turtle in veterinary and wildlife centres. Although they nest on land, these animals spend a large part of their lives in the ocean, which entails a series of...

Dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, and acid-base alterations are common findings in stranded sea turtles. Fluid therapy is essential for reestablishment of homeostasis. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and effects on acid-base and electrolyte status of four different crystalloids (0.9% NaCl solution, 0.9% NaCl and lactated Rin...

Opportunities for postmortem studies on leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are infrequent due to their predominantly pelagic life history. In this study, the pathological findings and causes of mortality of 13 leatherback turtles stranded in the Canary Islands, Spain, from 1998 to 2017, are described. In addition, concentrations of Se,...

Aims: The aims of this study were: a) to describe the pathological and laboratory findings in a case series of stranding and mortality associated with ingestion of large amounts of sea urchins in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), and b) to alert veterinarians and biologists involved in sea turtle conservation of this cause of stranding and/or...

Background: Cytokeratins with epitopes in common with those of alpha (acidic and basic) mammalian keratins have been immunohistochemically demonstrated in the epidermis of reptiles. However, there are no reports of immunohistochemical staining patterns of alpha-keratins in other tissues from reptiles. Because the epithelial tumours usually retain...

Capsule: Anthropogenic factors were identified as the main threats to wild birds in Gran Canaria. Aims: To analyse the causes of morbidity and mortality in a large sample of selected orders of birds admitted to the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (TWRC) in Gran Canaria over 11 years, and to analyse the outcomes of such rehabilitation. Methods...

Green turtles are found in the waters of the Canary Islands but little is known about the ecology and anthropogenic pressures that threaten them. Our results have revealed that juvenile green turtles, ranging in curve carapace length from 26.9-81.0cm, are regularly found in the archipelago and originate from rookeries in both the eastern and wester...

The aims of this study were to analyze the causes of morbidity and mortality in a large population of seabirds admitted to the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (TWRC) in Gran Canaria Island, Spain, from 2003 to 2013, and to analyze the outcomes of the rehabilitation process.We included 1,956 seabirds (133 dead on admission and 1,823 admitted a...

Final outcome of raptors admitted to the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Gran Canaria Island, Spain (2003-2013).— The outcomes of wild raptors admitted to the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Gran Canaria Island, Spain, from 2003 to 2013 were analyzed using a quality auditing system based on the crude and stratified (by causes of adm...

Cape Verde petrel (Pterodroma feae) is currently considered near threatened, but little is known about its population size, breeding biology and on land threats, jeopardizing its management and conservation. To improve this situation, we captured, marked and recaptured (CMR) birds using mist-nets over 10 years; measured and sexed them; monitored up...

Description of molecular sexing methodology. (DOCX)

Description of POPAN Jolly Seber modelling and model selection. (DOCX)

Carbon and nitrogen values of standard material used stable isotopic analysis. Accepted and mean measured (±standard deviation) values of the standard material used in the stable isotopic analysis performed in this study, as well as, the mean minimum and maximum values obtain in each run. The "n" refers to the number of samples of standards materia...

Examples of Cape Verde petrels brood patches representative of the score used in this article: (A) score 0 –no brood patch (i.e., no evidence of defeathering); (B) score 1 –loss of some down feathers around the edges; (C) score 2 –fully developed brood patch, that in this species occurred when almost all the down feathers fall, but there is still a...

Breeding phenology of Cape Verde petrels obtained from the light and saltwater immersion data of geolocators. (DOCX)

Description of the stable isotope analysis of fur samples. (DOCX)

GPS positions of seven tracked domestic cats from Chã das Caldeiras. (XLSX)

GPS positions over land of tracked Cape Verde petrels breeding in Fogo island. (XLSX)

Capsule: The endangered Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea polatzeki has been bred in captivity with the aim of reinforcing wild populations. We released and monitored 26 males and 15 females between 2010 and 2012. Survival and reproductive success were similar between the reinforced population and a stable reference population, suggestin...

Background One of the biggest challenges in avian taxonomy is the delimitation of allopatric species because their reproductive incompatibility cannot be directly studied in the wild. Instead, reproductive incompatibility has to be inferred from multiple, divergent character sets that indicate a low likelihood of allopatric populations amalgamating...

We report the causes of morbidity of 2,458 free-living raptors admitted to the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on Gran Canaria Island, Spain, during 2003-2013. The seasonal cumulative incidences were investigated while considering estimates of the wild populations in the region. These methods were used as a more accurate approach to assess th...

Aims Effective conservation of threatened or endangered species requires a robust understanding of their spatio‐temporal distribution. Although a huge amount is known about the movements of Atlantic adult sea turtles, much less is known about juvenile turtles, and much of the life history model is therefore inferred. We set out to describe the spat...

Aims The aims of this study were to analyze the causes of stranding of 1,860 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) admitted at the Tafira Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Gran Canaria Island, Spain, from 1998 to 2014, and to analyze the outcomes of the rehabilitation process to allow meaningful auditing of its quality. Methods Primary causes of mo...

Data of stranded loggerhead turtles admitted at the TWRC during the period 1998–2014. (XLSX)

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and effects on acid-base and electrolyte status of several crystalloid fluids in 57 stranded juvenile loggerhead turtles. Methods: Within a rehabilitation program four different crystalloid fluids were administered (0.9% Na Cl solution; 5% dextrose + 0.9% Na Cl solutions 1:1; 0.9% Na Cl + la...

The presence of the green and Kemp’s ridley turtles is rare at Atlantic and Mediterranean Spanish waters, but the records have increased during the last decades.We reported a new set of records and reviewed all the historical observations of these species. The analysis of a mitochondrial DNA fragment of the newest records provided insights about th...

The presence of the green and Kemp's ridley turtles is rare at Atlantic and Mediterranean Spanish waters, but the records have increased during the last decades. We reported a new set of records and reviewed all the historical observations of these species. The analysis of a mitochondrial DNA fragment of the newest records provided insights about t...

Wild birds share with humans the capacity for moving fast over large distances. During migratory movements, birds carry pathogens that can be transmitted between species. One of these concerning pathogens is Mycobacterium spp. A necropsy was performed in a grey heron (Ardea cinerea) that had been medically treated for a polyarthritic process. Gross...

The Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea) is endemic to the Canary Islands and restricted to the pine forests on Tenerife (ssp. teydea) and Gran Canaria (ssp. polatzeki). While the teydea population is large and stable, the polatzeki population underwent a dramatic decline in the twentieth century and currently numbers less than 200 individuals. Here,...

We report the number of strandings caused by crude oil among loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Canary Islands between 1998 and 2011 and analyze the impact of the designation of the Canary Islands as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in 2005. Among 1,679 stranded loggerhead turtles, 52 turtles stranded due to crude oil (3.1%). The s...

We describe the morphologic and toxicological findings in a case of pansteatitis in a stranded loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta. At necropsy, a large amount of adipose tissue in the celomic cavity showing very firm, yellow to orange irregular formations was observed. Histological lesions ranged from the infiltration of necrotic fat by scarce m...

Objective: To document venous blood gas, acid-base, and plasma biochemical values for stranded juvenile loggerhead turtles at admission to a rehabilitation facility, compare these values among stranding causes, investigate differences in these values for turtles that survived versus those that died, and establish the baseline values for successful...

Anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) levels were studied in liver of 61 dead raptors of five of the eleven species of the Canary Islands. The animals were delivered to our laboratory from the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira (Gran Canaria). Anticoagulant residues were detected in 42 (69%) of the studied animals, but only 1 may have die...

This study assessed the degree of contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in 193 specimens of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) stranded in the Canary Islands between 2007-2011. Quantification of plasma levels of organochlorine pesticides (POCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) we...

Six strains with the typical characteristics of mycoplasmas were isolated from the tracheae of six Canarian Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus majorensis). The results of biochemical, serological and molecular genetic studies showed that the isolates were nearly identical and that they could be considered as representing a novel species of th...

The present study describes pathological and microbiological findings in 9 stranded loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta, whose only observed lesion was bilateral purulent salt gland adenitis. Histological lesions ranged from the presence of abundant eosinophilic material associated with bacterial colonies in the lumen of the central ducts of the...

A sub-adult female olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) was found floating off the coast of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The turtle was lethargic and weak, and died one day after it was found. Necropsy was performed and selected samples of lung and liver were routinely processed for histopathological and immunohistological studie...

WE wish to report a recent outbreak of cutaneous avian pox infection in endemic stone curlews ( Burhinus oedicnemus distinctus ) from the Canary Islands. Several cases of poxvirus infection have been reported in the past few years in wild birds from the Canary Islands, such as white-tailed laurel

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) originating from the Western Atlantic carry out one of the largest marine migrations, reaching the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. It has been proposed that this transatlantic journey is simply a consequence of drifting, with the lack of a target destination and a passive dispersal with oceanic curre...

This contribution reports the discovery of the first breeding population of Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii on Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) after a five-year study (2002-2006). The breeding site (27.83°N, 15.78°W) was situated on cliffs along the southwest coast of the island, between Mogán and Veneguera. The population was roughly estimated to...

This paper lists the pathological findings and causes of mortality of 93 sea turtles (88 Caretta caretta, 3 Chelonia mydas, and 2 Dermochelys coriacea) stranded on the coasts of the Canary Islands between January 1998 and December 2001. Of these, 25 (26.88%) had died of spontaneous diseases including different types of pneumonia, hepatitis, meningi...

Although aberrant colourations occur in a great variety of animal species, their frequency of occurrence is low. Here, we report the first two observations of melanistic Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea, in the Azores archipelago and on the Canary Islands. Because dark plumages may be associated with subordinate status within petrel flocks a...

Digestive lesions were observed in 84 of 136 sea turtles (128 Caretta caretta, four Chelonia mydas and four Dermochelys coriacea) stranded in the Canary Islands between January 1993 and December 2001. In the oral cavity ulcerative and necropurulent stomatitis were the most frequently observed lesions, and in the oesophagus ulcerative and fibrinous...

A juvenile loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) stranded in Gran Canaria, Spain was necropsied. The turtle was underweight, had sunken eyes, and small amounts of crude oil were in the oral cavity. The most significant lesion was a large esophageal diverticulum at the junction of the esophagus and stomach. The diverticulum was full of gas and gre...

A juvenile female loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) stranded in Gran Canaria was submitted for necropsy. The turtle had exhibited anorexia and lethargy for 2 weeks prior to its death. At necropsy, the thymus was enlarged by two white and firm nodules. White nodules similar to those in thymus were observed in the plastron, thyroid gland, heart...

A connective tissue disease resembling the human Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is reported in three Garafiano shepherd dogs from the same litter. The clinical signs included skin hyperextensibility and fragility, joint laxity, and ocular lesions. Microscopical studies showed abnormalities in the packing of collagen in fibrils and fibres in the skin. Syste...

A connective tissue disease resembling the human Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is reported in three Garafiano shepherd dogs from the same litter. The clinical signs included skin hyperextensibility and fragility, joint laxity, and ocular lesions. Microscopical studies showed abnormalities in the packing of collagen in fibrils and fibres in the skin. Syste...