Aceitação de frutas amazônicas e não-amazônicas e comportamento alimentar de muçuã, Kinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766), em cativeiro.

Abstract

Historically, chelonians have been playing an important role as a natural resource for human feeding in the Amazon region, among them, the Kinosternon scorpioides species, also known as scorpion mud turtle, stands out. This is an omnivorous semi aquatic chelonian, found in freshwater rivers in the Amazon region. Due to the lack of research regarding the feeding aspects of this species held in captivity, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate the acceptance and preference of fruits by the Kinosternon scorpioides, and to describe its feeding behavior when held in captivity. The study was developed between january and june of 2017, at the Scientific Breeding Site of the BioFauna/ISARH-UFRA Projec, Belém, Pará, under the authorization of the Animal Use Ethics Committee (UFRA) Nº 23084.001637/2017-92. There were used 36 scorpion mud turtles, 18 on the growing phase (400g – 500g) and 18 on the breeding phase (50g – 100g), with average initial weight of 438g (±16,22g) and 84g (±16,11g). The animals were housed in polyethylene boxes of 56,5 cm x 39,0 cm x 19,0 cm with 60% of wet area and 40% of dry area, with 3 animals in each box. To evaluate the food preference there were used fruits pulpsin natura, classified by regional and non-regional (not necessarily consumed in nature in free life): cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), pupunha (Bactris gasipaes Kunth), taperebá(Spondias mombin L.), bacuri (Platonia insignis Mart) e ingá (Inga edulis); acerola (Malpighia emarginata), guava (Psidium guajava), star fruit (Averrhoa carambola), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), mango (Mangifera indica L), melon(Cucumis melo L.), graviola (Annona muricata) e jambo (Syzygium jambos). Each fruit was offered in food/animal unit, during the time of 50 minutes. The food preference monitoring was done with the aid of waterproof camcorders, which were installed at a fixed location above the animals' enclosure. It was observed that the animals in the breeding group consumed a greater percentage of regional fruits (48,89%), when compared to the growing group that consumed 46,67% of the same fruits. Among the fruits offered, it was possible to observe a higher consumption of pupunh a, melon and mango, by both groups. The amazonian regional fruits had great acceptance by the animals where the pupunha got more prominence (88,89%) between the growing group, and the melon between the breeding group (63,19%). During the experimental period, the phases of the feeding behavior observed in the animals were: olfaction, foraging, approximation, apprehension, dilaceration and ingestion, but some animals also presented behaviors of immobile and restless. With the data obtained so far, it was observed that all the fruits offered were accepted by Kinosternon scorpioides in captivity, except for bacuri (breeding), acerola (breeding) and tomato (growing), the pupunha being the fruit that obtained the highest rate of acceptance by animals by both groups.