抄録
Rats place their tails underneath their body trunks when cold (tail-hiding behavior). The aim of the present study was to determine whether this behavior is necessary to maintain body temperature. Male Wistar rats were divided into 'fed' and '42-h fasting' groups. A one-piece tail holder (8. 4 cm in length) that prevented the tail-hiding behavior or a three-piece tail holder (2. 8 cm in length) that allowed for the tail-hiding behavior was attached to the tails of the rats. The rats were exposed to 27°C for 180 min or to 20°C for 90 min followed by 15°C for 90 min with continuous body temperature and oxygen consumption measurements. Body temperature decreased by -1. 0 ± 0. 1°C at 15°C only in the rats that prevented tail-hiding behavior of the 42-h fasting group, and oxygen consumption increased at 15°C in all animals. Oxygen consumption was not different between the rats that prevented tail-hiding behavior and the rats that allowed the behavior in the fed and 42-h fasting groups under ambient conditions. These results show that the tail-hiding behavior is involved in thermoregulation in the cold in fasting rats.
本文言語 | English |
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ページ(範囲) | 89-95 |
ページ数 | 7 |
ジャーナル | Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology |
巻 | 198 |
号 | 2 |
DOI | |
出版ステータス | Published - 2012 2月 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- 生態、進化、行動および分類学
- 生理学
- 動物科学および動物学
- 行動神経科学