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24 December 2019 Flood-induced multiday torpor in golden spiny mice (Acomys russatus)
Orly Barak, Fritz Geiser, Noga Kronfeld-Schor
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Abstract

Mammalian and avian torpor is widely viewed as an adaptation for survival of cold winters. However, in recent years it has been established that torpor can also be expressed in summer and that the functions of torpor are manyfold, including survival of adverse environmental events such as fires, storms, heat waves and droughts. Here we provide the first evidence on (1) torpor induction via an accidental flooding event in mammals (in captivity) and (2) expression of multiday torpor by spiny mice, lasting >7 times as long as usually observed for this desert rodent. Our data suggest yet another function of mammalian torpor, as a response to flood, in addition to many other adverse environmental events, and not just in response to cold.

© CSIRO 2018
Orly Barak, Fritz Geiser, and Noga Kronfeld-Schor "Flood-induced multiday torpor in golden spiny mice (Acomys russatus)," Australian Journal of Zoology 66(5-6), 401-405, (24 December 2019). https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO19061
Received: 26 September 2019; Accepted: 5 December 2019; Published: 24 December 2019
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