Use of oxytetracycline in batch-marking post-metamorphic boreal toads

Abstract/Summary

Tetracycline has been used to batch-mark hatchery-reared fish with some success. It is incorporated into bone and fluoresces when prepared sections are viewed under a microscope with UV light. We investigated its utility for marking large numbers of metamorphic boreal toads, Bufo boreas. We concluded that this is not a useful technique. Marks were ambiguous - exposure to tetracycline was often indistinguishable from autofluorescence in unexposed animals.