Thermoregulation in free-ranging Nycteris thebaica (Nycteridae) during winter : no evidence of torpor

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Authors

Toussaint, Dawn Cory
Brigham, R. Mark
McKechnie, Andrew E.

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Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

Bats are among the most heterothermic mammals, with nearly all species investigated under free-ranging conditions to date exhibiting some degree of daily torpor and/or hibernation. We investigated thermoregulation during late winter by seven Nycteris thebaica in a warm, semi-arid habitat in northern South Africa, using temperature-sensitive transmitters to measure skin temperature (Tskin). Unexpectedly, we found no evidence for any expression of daily torpor or hibernation based on a total of 86 days of data from 7 bats (one male and six females), despite air temperatures as low as ∼10 ◦C. Instead, daytime Tskin was distributed unimodally with most values in the 33–35 ◦C range, and a minimum Tskin of 28.4 ◦C at a roost temperature of 24.6 ◦C. There are several possible reasons why N. thebaica may avoid torpor, including predation in roosts, and the long nightly foraging periods of this species compared to many others.

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Keywords

Afrotropics, Body temperature, Heterothermy, Nycteridae, Skin temperature

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Citation

Toussaint, DC, Brigham, RM & McKechnie, AE 2013, 'Thermoregulation in free-ranging Nycteris thebaica (Nycteridae) during winter: No evidence of torpor', Mammalian Biology, vol. 78, no. 5, pp. 365-368.