Insulation and thermal balance of fasting harp and grey seal pups.
1. Harp and grey seal pups were examined during the post-weaning period to quantify their thermoregulatory abilities and thermal limits. 2. Deep body temperatures of harp seals (37.8 +/- 0.8 degrees C) were not significantly different from those of grey seals (38.9 +/- 0.4 degrees C). 3. As blubber depth declined during the fast, temperature gradients extended increasingly deeper into the muscle layer potentially decreasing heat loss. 4. Blubber conductivity (approximately 0.18 W/m/degrees C) did not vary regionally within an animal, or between animals or species. 5. Calculated lethal cold limits in air were between -85.4 degrees C and -116.1 degrees C, suggesting that fasting, weaned pups can easily cope with temperatures they would normally experience.
Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Worthy
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting; D008433:Mathematics; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D014886:Weaning