Sensible heat transfer and thermal windows inDasyprocta leporina(Mammalia, Rodentia)

Thermal Imaging to Assess the Health Status in Wildlife Animals under Human Care: Limitations and Perspectives

“…In that study, the nasal region was not found to reflect internal processes because autonomous processes regulate body temperature for the production and loss of heat. This observation allows us to understand why this window does not represent a relevant region for heat transfer in red-rumped agouti ( Dasyprocta leporina ), a species in which cooling due to water evaporation in the nasal mucosa can affect the temperature of this region [ 66 ].…”

Understanding how environmental factors influence reproductive aspects of wild myomorphic and hystricomorphic rodents

“…Homeothermic animals, such as rodents, are known to respond to environmental thermal variations by modulating thermogenesis, thereby activating sensible and evaporative heat transfer mechanisms, either for loss or gain of thermal energy ( El-Sabrout, 2018 ; Mascarenhas et al, 2018 ). In some rodent species, such as the mole rats ( Fukomys mechowii and Heliophobius argenteocinereus ) ( Šumbera et al, 2007 ) and agoutis ( Dasyprocta aguti ) ( Queiroz et al, 2019 ), there is a physiological pathway for heat dissipation through a body area that is normally rich in blood vessels and low in hair, that facilitates heat dissipation ( Figure 1 ); this is called the thermal window ( Romanovsky et al, 2002 ). In this regard, Queiroz et al (2020) , studying Spix's yellow-toothed cavy ( Galea spixii ) in a semi-arid environment in northeastern Brazil, recently identified that the pinnae and vibrissae regions act as thermal windows, thus being the first line of defense against overheating.…”

“…To fill the gaps in these characteristics, many wild species are bred in captivity, either for conservation, preservation, the establishment of biotechnology protocols, or to study their biology ( Frankham, 2008 ; Comizzoli et al, 2009 ; Comizzoli, 2015 ; Queiroz et al, 2020 ). In this context, studies of captive wild rodents may become an important strategy for their conservation ( Praxedes et al, 2018 ), particularly if the rodent species show good acclimatization to captivity and relatively easy management ( Slade et al, 2014 ; Castelo et al, 2015 ; Queiroz et al, 2019 ). This practice allows us to understand more efficiently how environmental variables influence the characteristics and behavior of rodents, thus improving our understanding of their reproductive biology.…”

The role of behavioral, autonomous, and adaptive processes in rodent thermoregulation

“…However, thermal exchange by cutaneous evaporation is not very efficient in rodents, so other thermoregulatory mechanisms are required to dissipate excess heat (Krattenmacher and Rübsamen 1987;Baldo et al 2015;Pleštilová et al 2020). In this context, these animals are known to respond more effectively to environmental thermal variation by modulating thermogenesis via autonomic processes and thereby activating sensible heat transfer mechanisms, for heat loss or gain (Šumbera et al 2007;Gordon et al 2014;Queiroz et al 2019Queiroz et al , 2020.…”