Scanning efficacy of p-Chips implanted in the wing and leg of the Big Brown Bat ( Eptesicus fuscus ).

Autor:	Seheult SDI; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada., Panchal R; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada., Borisenko AV; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada., Bennett PJ; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada., Faure PA; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of mammalogy [J Mammal] 2024 Apr 06; Vol. 105 (3), pp. 679-690. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 06 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.1093/jmammal/gyae030
Abstrakt:	Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)-a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder-as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ). We assessed long-term readability and postimplantation effects of p-Chips injected subcutaneously above the second metacarpal (wing; n = 30) and the tibia (leg; n = 13 in both locations). Following implantation (Day 0), p-Chips were scanned with a hand-held ID reader (wand) on postimplantation days (PIDs) 1, 8, 15, 22, 32, 60, 74, 81, 88, 95, and over 1 year later (PID 464). For each trial, we recorded: (1) animal handling time; (2) scan time; (3) number of wand flashes; (4) p-Chip visibility; and (5) overall condition of the bat. Average scan times for p-Chips implanted in both the wing and leg increased over the duration of the study; however, the number of wand flashes decreased, suggesting that efficacy of p-Chip recording increased with user experience. Importantly, over 464 days both the visibility and readability of p-Chips in the wing remained high and superior to tags in the leg, establishing the second metacarpal as the preferred implantation site. Observed morbidity and mortality in captive bats with p-Chips was similar to baseline values for bats without these tags. Because scan efficiency on PID 464 was comparable with earlier days, this indicates that p-Chips implanted in the wing may be suitable as a long-term marking method. Our provisional results suggest that p-Chips are viable for extended field testing to see if they are suitable as an effective alternative to traditional methods to mark bats. Competing Interests: None declared. (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Mammalogists.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
Externí odkaz:	Zobrazit plný text záznamu