Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Temperature Regulation in the Platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus: Maintenance of Body Temperature in Air and Water

1978; University of Chicago Press; Volume: 51; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/physzool.51.1.30158659

1937-4267

Tom Grant, Terence J. Dawson,

Evolution and Paleontology Studies

Although platypus spend short periods feeding in captivity, they do spend up to several hours at a time foraging for food in the wild. The Tb of platypus netted during feeding periods in the water in various areas of New South Wales varied from a mean value of 32.1 C in the summer to 30.4 C in the winter. Struggling and the destruction of the fur insulation are thought to account for these temperatures being lower than those recorded in captive animals, especially in winter. The Tb of the platypus in air over a temperature range of 5-30 C is between 32 and 33 C. Platypus which were confined to water or allowed to enter or leave it at will maintained Tb of between 33 and 34 C. The slight elevation of Tb from resting levels in air is attributed to muscular activity and the restriction of heat loss by changes in tissue insulation.