BASELINE DATA ON HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS FOR THE USE OF WILD JUVENILE BROAD-SNOUTED CAIMAN (Caiman latirostris) AS BIOINDICATORS IN ATLANTIC FOREST, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Crocodilians are considered as good indicators of ecosystem health since environmental conditions will influence them at individual (body condition and health parameters) and populational levels (population dynamics and behavior). Despite that, there are few attempts to use crocodilians as bioindicators and the lack of baseline health parameters is an impediment to this. Here, hematological and biochemical reference values for free-ranging Caiman latirostris (broad-snouted caiman) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the most threatened biomes in the world, are proposed. Young caiman are more sensitive to environmental variations, besides being more abundant and more easily captured, when compared to adults, which facilitates their use as bioindicators. Furthermore, problems that affect young caimans may represent future population problems. The data obtained is an important tool in assessing the health of free-living populations, contributing to the use of C. latirostris as a bioindicator of health in the Atlantic Forest aquatic ecosystem.