The aims of the present study were to characterize differences in behavior between copulatory and non-copulatory periods in male and female Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) and to illustrate the characteristics of estrus-related behaviors in female tapirs. Megascopic observations were performed using two procedures for two pairs of male and female Malayan tapirs in captivity. In observation I, five behavioral categories, Attract (♀→♂), Chasing (♂→♀), Mounting (♂→♀), Copulation (♂) and Vocalization (♀), were recorded as present or absent within a day for over 1 year. In observation II, eighteen behavioral categories of maintenance and reproductive behaviors were recorded by the methods of one-zero sampling with 1-min intervals and/or continuous sampling for 4 months. The estrous cycle of a female, from which it was possible to collect blood, was determined by assaying serum progesterone concentrations. Copulation periods in pairs I and II lasted for 1.7±0.4 days at 46.7±3.9 day- intervals and 2.1±0.3 days at 34.4±1.2 day- intervals, respectively. In the males of both pairs, Chasing (♂→♀), Mounting (♂→♀), Sexual investigation (♂→♀), Vocalization and Biting (♂→♀) significantly increased in the copulatory period. In females, Vocalization significantly increased and Spray urination had a tendency to increase in the copulatory period than non-copulatory period. In contrast, Resting significantly increased in the non-copulatory period. The estrous cycle based on the serum progesterone profiles of a female was 46.3±4.9 days and thus well corresponded to the copulatory cycle length; therefore, it seems that increased vocalization and possibly spray urination are estrous signs in female Malayan tapirs.

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Tongues of the greater horseshoe bats were observed by scanning electron microscopy and were compared with those of other bat species. The tongues of the greater horseshoe bats were about 13.5mm in length, 4.5mm in width. They had a lingual torus and four types of papillae (filiform, fungiform, vallate and foliate papillae). The filiform papillae can be classified into four types (bifid, truncated cylinder, shovel and conical), which might be the typical characteristics of the Greater horseshoe bat.

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An adult wild European sparrow hawk(Accipiter nisosimilis) showed clinical signs of leg paralysis. Gross pathologic examination demonstrated marked atrophy in both sides of leg muscles. Multifocal hyaline degeneration of muscle fibers associated with dystrophic calcification were observed in both sides of pectoral muscles, biceps brachii muscles, biceps femoris muscles and quadriceps femoris muscles. Based on these findings, the bird were suspected to be in an early stage of nutritional myopathy.

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An adult, female, pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) showed fever, anorexia, vomit, hemorrhage at the left ear canal with body tilt to right side. The dolphin progressively got worse and died 2 weeks after the onset of the disease. Pathological examination demonstrated findings of severe suppurative eustachitis and meningitis, as well as signs of endotoxin shock. Based on the clinico-pathological and pathological findings, endotoxin shock resulting from suppurarive eustachitis may be involved in the process of the disease.

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