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Capture
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PIT Tag Reader
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Implanting PIT Tag
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Tonic Immobilization
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Measuring Wingspan
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Measuring Small Liver
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If the stingray has a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag or microchip, a specified reader can be used to obtain the alphanumeric identification code.
Typically, males identified by their claspers are tagged in the muscle of the their right wing and females are tagged in the muscle of their left wing. Some readers are sensitive to water and precautions should be taken (protecting it with a plastic cover) if necessary. |
If the stingray does not have any unique identification then a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag or microchip can be implanted. Males (identified by their claspers) are typically injected in their right wing and females are injected in their left wing. The needle is a large gauge therefore it should be inserted at an angle and embedded into the muscle to avoid it falling out.
One method of assessing body condition is to view the liver size using an ultrasound. Normally elasmobranch livers should occupy a large portion of the coelomic cavity due to its fat-storing functionality. During times of high energy demand (stress, pregnancy, starvation, etc.) the fat stores are relied on and liver may decrease in size. The crude liver size can be measured against its distance from the pelvic cartilaginous girdle (Grant et al., 2013) shown here.
grant_2013_liver-to-coelom_ratio_in_stringrays.pdf | |
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