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- Title
Seasonal variation of thermoregulatory behaviour in the Hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius).
- Authors
Noirard, Christian; Le Berre, M.; Ramousse, R.; Lena, J. P.
- Abstract
The hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius) spends more than 12 h a day in the water. Hippos are often submitted to water temperatures that vary with the seasons. We hypothesize that this difference between cool and warm water temperatures leads to variations in behavioural thermoregulation. We recorded the exposure of hippos to sunshine at the beginning and at the end of the dry season. Our results show that (1) sunshine exposure lasted much longer in cool water and (2) sun-bathing occurred during the hottest hours. It is therefore likely that in cool water hippos were cold and expressed an original behaviour of search for heat.
- Subjects
HIPPOPOTAMUS; HIPPOPOTAMUS (Genus); HUBERTA (Hippopotamus); HIPPOPOTAMIDAE; ARTIODACTYLA
- Publication
Journal of Ethology, 2008, Vol 26, Issue 1, p191
- ISSN
0289-0771
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10164-007-0052-1