The Reptile & Aquatics Facility provides the Institute’s research staff with the highest quality laboratory animal care and support services for non-mammalian species. Specialized husbandry is provided for a wide variety of animal species.

Species currently housed include:

• Whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis spp.)
• African House Snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus)
• Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
• Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
• Starlet Sea Anemone (Nematostella vectensis)
• Planaria (Schmidtea, Dugesia, Phacocata, Procotyla, Stylochus)

A knowledgeable, specially trained staff of dedicated technicians caters to the needs of the researchers. The Facility is fully AAALAC accredited and all housing, husbandry practices and veterinary care for the animals are in compliance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, as well as all other institutional, state, and local regulations.

Staff offer a variety of technical services based on researcher needs including breeding, embryo harvest, tissue sampling, genotyping, histology preparation and identification services.

Technology

The Reptile & Aquatics Facility uses the following equipment in its work:

• Aquatic Habitats Zebra Fish Multi-rack System Housing with YSI 5200 and TGP Monitoring
• Animal Plastics Rack Housing