Behavior patterns of cold-resistant golden spiny mouse Acomys russatus.
Nesting behavior and food storage were studied in a cold-resistant (CR) population of the golden spiny mouse, Acomys russatus, in Southern Sinai at an altitude of 1600 m. CR-mice, in contrast to cold-sensitive (CS) ones, built nests in which they stored food. Such mice were found to be winter-solitary. These results show that food supply is an essential parameter for the survival of CR-mice during winter. Therefore, it is suggested that food supply rather than energy conservation was the main driving force in the selection of a solitary behavior pattern of CR-mice.
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Department of Zoology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005523:Food Supply; D009115:Muridae / Q000502:physiology*; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology