Abstract
The pattern of sleep and circadian activity of the lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus kanchil) that is the smallest (body mass between 1.5 and 2.2 kg) representative of the basal group (Tragulidae) of even-toed ungulates which evolved 40–50 Ma were studied. In naturalistic conditions, a total of 30 days of full-day video of the animal behavior and 15 days of 24-h polysomnographic data were collected in 6 animals. The mouse-deer were active less than 20% of 24 h and were quiescent during 60–80% of the remaining time. Slow wave sleep (SWS) accounted for on average 49.7 ± 3.7% of 24 h and paradoxical (rapid eye movement, REM) sleep accounted for 1.7 ± 0.3% of 24 h. During the majority of SWS (87.0 ± 4.4%) the eyes were open. The most of SWS and REM sleep occurred during the daytime hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and in the first half of the night (8 p.m. to 2 a.m.); the animals were most active during twilight hours (4–6 a.m. and 6–7 p.m.). We suggest that the main features of sleep in the mouse-deer are largely determined by ecological factors, including environmental temperature and predation, as well as the size and physiology of the mouse-deer.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank A. Troshchenko for the manufacture of the telemetry system.
Funding
The research was carried out within the framework of the State Contract of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the topic of research work of the Joint Russian–Vietnam Tropical Research and Technological Center.
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The research plan was approved by the Bioethics Commission of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Joint Russian–Vietnam Tropical Research and Technological Center.
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Lyamin, O.I., Siegel, J.M., Evsigneev, R.V. et al. Characteristics of Sleep–Wakefulness Cycle and Circadian Activity in the Lesser Mouse-Deer (Tragulus kanchil). Dokl Biol Sci 500, 153–158 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496621050069
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496621050069