Circadian Activity in Yellow Ground Squirrels Spermophilus fulvus Licht. (Sciuridae): A Pilot Instrumental Studyстатья
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Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 15 февраля 2024 г.
Аннотация:Most of the information on animal circadian activity is based on laboratory data. To obtain infor-mation from a natural population, we conducted for the first time an instrumental study of daily activity in yellow ground squirrels, which are large hibernating rodents. Eight individuals were fitted with glued-on radio transmitters that contained accelerometers and light sensors in summer 2021. Our data showed that yellow ground squirrels left their burrows only during daytime; the squirrels rested when they entered their burrows. As hibernation approached, the duration of aboveground activity decreased. In contrast to similar species with two peaks of activity, the aboveground activity of yellow ground squirrels was single-phased. Most likely, prolonged hibernation and, therefore, time deficiency motivated yellow ground squirrels to use daylight hours as effectively as possible.