Lithophagy Prolongs Voluntary Dives in American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Uriona TJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7671140 | biostudies-literature | 2019
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Lithophagy Prolongs Voluntary Dives in American alligators (<i>Alligator mississippiensis</i>).
Uriona T J TJ Lyon M M Farmer C G CG
Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) 20190102 1
Many vertebrates ingest stones, but the function of this behavior is not fully understood. We tested the hypothesis that lithophagy increases the duration of voluntary dives in juvenile American alligators (<i>Alligator mississippiensis</i>). After ingestion of granite stones equivalent to 2.5% of body weight, the average duration of dives increased by 88% and the maximum duration increased by 117%. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that gastroliths serve to increase specific gravity ...[more]
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