Clinical Hematology of the Nose-Horned Viper, Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus 1758)

Abstract

The establishment of hematological profiles of animals taken from their natural environment or kept in captivity has great importance in determining the health status and biology of these species. Pollution in the habitat of reptiles and the impact of various diseases can be determined by analyzing blood parameters. In this study, the clinical hematology (erythrocyte and leukocyte count, erythrocyte types, differential blood formula, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) of three Nose-horned Vipers (Vipera ammodytes) captured from Vize (Kırklareli, Türkiye) were examined. We detected the frequency of nuclear abnormalities in this species for the first time. We also provide the first erythrometric measurements of Vipera ammodytes, and found that the erythrocyte sizes of this species were larger compared to other species in Viperidae. Knowledge of the general health status of animals is important in species conservation action plans and monitoring studies.