Following capture, blood samples were collected
from the occipital venous sinus and dispensed in
tubes containing heparin as anticoagulant. The volume
of the collected blood did not surpass 1% of the
live weight. The samples were divided, with 1 portion
analyzed for PCV whereas the other, protected
from light, was centrifuged and the plasma was harvested
and then stored frozen (−20°C). All samples
with visible hemolysis were not analyzed