Hematological profiles of giant anteaters from different biomes

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a species currently classified as vulnerable, is native to Central and South America. However, few studies have focused on the hematology of this animal, making its clinical evaluation difficult. With regard to reference values for laboratory parameters, existing data are scanty and show differences among most of the variables, even in animals from the same country. Such differences may be attributed to various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study therefore sought to determine whether there are similarities in the hematological profiles of giant anteaters from different Brazilian biomes living in captivity in various zoos, based on a statistical comparison of data collected in three studies conducted in Brazil. It was found that, even within the same country, most of the hematological variables of anteaters from different biomes differ from one another. This finding underscores the need to establish regional hematological parameters of reference, since these discrepancies may be generated by multiple factors.