Herpetological Conservation and Biology 14(3):601–614. Submitted: 1 May 2019; Accepted: 15 October 2019; Published: 16 December 2019. EVALUATING BEHAVIOR AND ENCLOSURE USE OF ZOO-HOUSED BROAD- SNOUTED CAIMAN (CAIMAN LATIROSTRIS): A CASE STUDY IN THE ZOO OF CÓRDOBA (ARGENTINA) LILEN PRYSTUPCZUK1,2, GERARDO C. LEYNAUD1,2, AND M. CARLA LABAQUE3,4,5 1Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas, y Naturales, Centro de Zoología Aplicada. Rondeau 798, Córdoba (5000) Argentina 2Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y EcologíaAnimal (IDEA), Rondeau 798, Córdoba, (5000) Argentina 3Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Catedra de Ecología, Avenida Vélez Sársfield 299 (X5000GCA), Córdoba, Argentina 4Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT), Avenida Vélez Sársfield 1611 (X5016GCA), Córdoba, Argentina 5Corresponding author, email:
[email protected] Abstract.—Zoo environments represent a useful opportunity for animal research, particularly for species that are difficult to observe in the wild. Moreover, studying the behavior of zoo-housed populations provides important information about the welfare state of animals. We described the behaviors of a zoo-housed population of seven Broad-snouted Caimans (Caiman latirostris) composed of males and females of different ages. We evaluated the associations of behavior frequencies with attributes of individuals (sex and age class) and with environmental variables (season, time of the day, and daily mean temperature). We calculated the Spread of Participation Index to estimate the use of space in relation to attributes of individuals and environmental variables. Additionally, we evaluated the suitability of the enclosure and management measures by assessing the Five Freedoms.