Got It Clipped? The Effect of Tail Clipping on Tail Gripping Performance in Chameleons

Abstract

Toe and tail clipping are commonly used methods for permanent marking of animals and for obtaining tissue samples for genetic analyses. Although it has been tested whether toe clipping affects locomotor performance (and thus potentially the fitness of an individual), little is known about the effect of tail clipping. Tails are important organs in many amphibians and reptiles and are used for balance or stability during locomotion or as prehensile organs. Effects of tail autotomy or the removal of large parts of the tail have previously been demonstrated. Here, we test whether the removal of a small part (,5 mm) of the distal tail in chameleons affects their ability to cling to branches of different diameters by measuring gripping strength using of a force platform. Our data show no significant or directional effect of tail clipping on the maximal forces that can be generated by the tail and, thus, suggest that tail clipping can be used as a method for tissue collection. Toe and tail clipping are commonly used methods for permanent marking of animals and to obtain tissue samples for genetic analyses (Ferner, 1979; Gosner and Collura, 1996). In lizards, tail clipping is predominantly used to obtain tissue for genetic analysis. Toe clipping is, in addition, used to permanently mark individuals. Given the possibility of clipping several toes on each foot, this gives the researcher access to a nearly unlimited number of individual codes. Despite being minimally invasive, previous studies have documented how toe clipping can affect locomotor perfor-