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Cited by 26Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesIchthyology and Marine BiologyMarine animal studies overview

Natural Habitat Design for Zoo-Housed Elasmobranch and Teleost Fish Species Improves Behavioural Repertoire and Space Use in a Visitor Facing Exhibit

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Lawrence, Kristie, Sherwen, Sally L., Larsen, Hannah·2021·Animals
DOI 10.3390/ani11102979PMC PMC8532934
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Abstract

This study investigated the behaviour of two Elasmobranch species; Southern fiddler ray (Trygonorrhina dumerilii, n = 1) and Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni, n = 4) and two teleost species; moonlighter (Tilodon sexfasciatus, n = 1) and banded morwong (Cheilodactylus spectabilis, n = 1) living within a single enclosure. For this study, two treatments were compared, the original enclosure design, and then after the enclosure had been renovated to more closely represent the species natural habitats, with a raised front viewing glass to prevent visitor interaction. Behaviours such as resting, swimming and abnormal behaviours such as surface and perimeter swimming (elasmobranchs only) were recorded as well as location within the enclosure, for 10 days pre and 10 days post renovation. The Port Jackson sharks significantly reduced the performance of abnormal behaviours after renovation, and significantly increased the time spent near the exhibit front. The Southern fiddler ray increased resting post renovation, while the teleost species also spent more time near the exhibit front. Although a small sample size was used, the results suggest that a more naturalistic environment with multiple micro-habitats and effective visitor barriers allows for a greater proportion of the day spent exhibiting natural behaviours, greater space use and reduced stereotypes.

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  • Increases in exhibit complexity and size have been shown to positively impact behavioral patterns in diverse taxa.

    “However, increases in exhibit complexity and size have been shown to positively impact behavioral patterns in diverse taxa.”

    From The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) (2023) · cites this paper as [7]

    The Introduction describes positive behavioural effects of enriched, more naturalistic enclosures in primates, sitatunga and leopards, and the Conclusions report increased natural behaviours in the fish studied. The paper supports the complexity and diverse-taxa portions of the claim, but the passages do not show that increasing exhibit size improves behaviour; its renovation added habitat features, not exhibit space. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lawrence, K., Sherwen, S. L., & Larsen, H.
Affiliations
  • Wild Sea, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
  • Zoos Victoria (AU)
Corresponding author
Lawrence, Kristie
ORCID
Venue
Animals
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-10-15
Volume
11
Issue
10
Pages
2979
ISSN
2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ani11102979
PMC
PMC8532934
OpenAlex
W3205559154
Cited by
26
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 2
FWCI
5.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
Keywords
elasmobranchs, teleosts, Port Jackson shark, abnormal behaviour, stereotypy, space use, behavioral repertoire

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