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CHAPTER 35 III Caimans 415

Figure 35-1 • A fully conscious caiman, its jaws
held shut by only a few loops of duct tape,
calmly remains on the x-ray table awaiting
radiography. Note the wound on the lower left
midjaw, the result of a fall that also fractured the
animal’s mandible.

Figure 35-2 • The owner secures the
caiman by hugging the torso, cradling the
head and neck, and most importantly,
preventing the right forelimbs and hind
limbs from getting any sort of traction.
This is truly a lesson in biomechanics.

Figure 35-3 • With only gentle pressure
applied to its back, the caiman quietly awaits
having its lower jaw radiographed with a
horizontal x-ray beam, which is termed
postural radiography.

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