A REVIEW OF MORTALITY IN TENTACLED SNAKES (ERPETON TENTACULATUM) IN A MULTI-INSTITUTION ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION BETWEEN 1966 AND 2017

Abstract

The tentacled snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) is a viviparous aquatic snake that is a desirable species to exhibit in zoological collections because of its unique appearance and feeding strategies. Despite its presence in zoo collections over the past 50 yr, a comprehensive review of mortality and morbidity in the species has not been published. This study retrospectively reviewed 125 pathology reports from tentacled snakes in a multi-institution zoological collection in New York (The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx and Central Park zoos) between 1966 and 2017. Just over half of the deaths were due to infectious disease (n = 67; 53.6%), and of these, over half (n = 40; 59.7%) were due to fungal dermatitis. Fungal histomorphology was consistent with Paranannizziopsis spp. in most cases. Death due to bacterial infection was also relatively common (n = 21; 16.8%), and one-third had intralesional bacilli consistent with Mycobacterium spp. (n = 7; 5.6%). The most common comorbidities included gastrointestinal parasitism (n = 44; 35.2%), renal pathology (n = 31; 24.8%), and lipid accumulation of hepatocytes (n = 13; 10.4%). This retrospective review suggests that managing infectious diseases plays a role in the long-term care and survival of captive tentacled snakes.