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I'Effect of diets conplenented vith Sodiun L-Thyroxine' white corn flour and a
complement of vitanins and essential smino acids in Caiman Croco'lilus
grorth. rr
Avendafio, Gregorio; B5ez, Leonor; Michelangeli'
Leonardo.
1.- INIRODUCTION
In recent years, nany studies have been catr:ied out for optimizing the -
gro!,th of Cainan crocodilus in caPtivity' Such Par:ameters as water temperature,
amount of food, feeding time, food tyPe and the combination thereof, are -
very important in the growth of tiabas-
It is Knovn that the thyroid hornone is essential to grovth dur:ing the
first stages of 1ife, not only in man but atso roonkeys, ruminants, rodents 3nd
birds- The thyioid hornone effect on huian gro!,/th is fundamentally nanifested
in children in the growth stage.
Precocious rnetarnorpbosis (1) was observed in expelinents car:ried out with -
"tenrporaria" frog, "esculenta" frog, "Bufo r,'ulgaris" and "Trit6n alPestrisrr, in
i.'hich tadpoles were fed with horse thyroid glands.
It is presumed that the thyroid hormone grotth promoter effect is based on
its ability to Promote protein synthesis.
It has been reported (2) that in the catbohydrate netabolisn' the thyroid -
hofimne stimulates almost all aspects: it accelerates the glucose intake in -
cells, incr.eases glycolysis, increases gluconeogenes i s ' incieases the gastroin_
testlnal tract absorption rate and increases insutin secretion {ith secondary
effects on the carbohydrate metabolisn.
The object of this $ork is to evaluate the effects of diets conplemented
lrith sodlun L-1'trytoxine, lrhite corn flour and cornPlenent of vitaroins and _
essential a$ino acids in Cainan crocodilus qrowth.
2.- MATERIAI,S AND MEIlIODS
Babas (Cainan crocodilus) of both sexes rere used. At 24 hours of emersing
frolo the eggs, the babas lrete Placed in 6x2 n tanks (density = 16.6 babas per
2m). Previous experi$ents indicated that the ltater temperatuie of the tanks -
during the sunner nronths had a naximun 9.2
'c temperature ftuctuation -
(Minirnum tempetature: 25 "C and maxinui temperature: 34'2 "C thetefore the
tanks were kept at a controled 30.5
'C tenperature (optimurn for the baba -
metabolism) and r,rith clean oater circulation 24 hours a day.