書誌： J Comp Physiol A , 2012
J Comp Physiol A (2012) 198:89–95
Yuki Uchida • Ken Tokizawa • Mayumi Nakamura • Cheng-Hsien Lin • Kei Nagashima
Abstract Rats place their tails underneath their bodytrunks when cold (tail-hiding behavior). The aim of thepresent study was to determine whether this behavior isnecessary to maintain body temperature. Male Wistar ratswere divided into ‘fed’ and ‘42-h fasting’ groups. A onepiece tail holder (8.4 cm in length) that prevented the tailhiding behavior or a three-piece tail holder (2.8 cm inlength) that allowed for the tail-hiding behavior wasattached to the tails of the rats. The rats were exposed to27C for 180 min or to 20C for 90 min followed by 15Cfor 90 min with continuous body temperature and oxygenconsumption measurements. Body temperature decreasedby -1.0 ± 0.1C at 15C only in the rats that preventedtail-hiding behavior of the 42-h fasting group, and oxygenconsumption increased at 15C in all animals. Oxygenconsumption was not different between the rats that prevented tail-hiding behavior and the rats that allowed thebehavior in the fed and 42-h fasting groups under ambientconditions. These results show that the tail-hiding behavioris involved in thermoregulation in the cold in fasting rats.
Keywords Behavioral thermoregulation ・ Fasting ・ Tail ・ Body temperature ・ Cold