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Spiny-tailed monitor Varanus acanthurus  © Frupus / Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Monitoring lizardsstable isotope analysis to determine the origin of monitor lizard skins

Spiny-tailed monitor Varanus acanthurus © Frupus / Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Published 1 March 2016

  English 

Monitoring using stable isotopes

Quantitative measurement of stable isotope ratios in metabolically inert tissue samples has been identified as a potential tool for wildlife crime investigations that can be applied to differentiate between wild and captive-sourced animals. Targeted collection for international trade is regarded as one of the greatest threats to the survival of many species, particularly with regards to the commercial trade of reptiles as relatively little information on the status of most wild populations exists.

Monitoring lizards: using stable isotope analysis to determine the origin of monitor lizard Varanus spp. skins

Report author(s):
Vicki Crook, Louisa Musing, Stefan Ziegler

Publication date:
March 2016