Body temperature variation of free-ranging and captive southern brown bandicoots Isoodon obesulus (Marsupialia: Peramelidae)

✍ Scribed by Lisa Warnecke; Philip C. Withers; Elke Schleucher; Shane K. Maloney

• Book ID: 104035006
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 340 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0306-4565
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2006.10.003

✦ Synopsis

To investigate patterns of thermoregulation in free-ranging and captive southern brown bandicoots Isoodon obesulus, we measured abdominal body temperature (T b ) of five free-ranging bandicoots over 42 days using implanted data loggers and T b of three captive bandicoots over 3 months using implanted temperature-sensitive radio transmitters. Bandicoots in the wild had a mean T b of 36.571.0 1C (range 33.4-39.8 1C) and showed a pronounced nychthemeral pattern with two distinct temperature phases. T b increased at 13:3072.6 h each day and remained high for 10.6572.07 h, suggesting a crepuscular and early evening activity pattern. Daily T b variation of I. obesulus would save considerable energy by reducing daytime thermoregulatory costs in the wild. Captive bandicoots had a similar mean body temperature (36.970.21C) and range (33.0-39.91C) as free-ranging bandicoots. However, the nychthemeral T b pattern of captive bandicoots was different from free-ranging bandicoots, with a less pronounced daily cycle and the nocturnal rise in T b occurring mainly at sunset and the daily decline occurring mainly at dawn.