Hematological reference intervals of some snake species in Turkey

In this study, some blood parameters were studied in 7 distinct snake species (Dolichophis caspius, Eirenis modestus, Malpolon monspessulanus, Natrix natrix, Platyceps rubriceps, Telescopus fallax, and Typhlops vermicularis) of the families Colubridae and Typhlopidae, collected from various regions of Turkey. A total of 7 hematologic parameters, namely red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), hematocrit value (HCT), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), were examined. It was detected that Platyceps rubriceps had the highest erythrocyte count and the lowest MCV value among the species examined, Telescopus fallax had the lowest erythrocyte count and hematocrit value, and Eirenis modestus had the highest hematocrit and MCV values. With this study, the variations observed in the blood measurements and counts of snakes were also observed in clinical parameters.