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Seasonal variation of thermoregulatory behaviour in the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)

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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.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to A. Harouna of the Fauna and Fishery Direction of the Niger Environment Ministry for his technical support. Special thanks go to the ranger S. Ali of the “W” trans-boundary biosphere reserve. We thank Eric Pattee for reviewing the English. This study was made possible by the fund received from the “Conservation et Développement Durable” Society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. “Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Fluviaux”, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon1, U.M.R. C.N.R.S. 5023, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    Christian Noirard & J. P. Lena

  2. “Biométrie, Biologie et Evolution”, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon1, U.M.R. C.N.R.S. 5558, 69622, Villeurbanne, France

    M. Le Berre & R. Ramousse

Authors
  1. Christian Noirard
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  2. M. Le Berre
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  3. R. Ramousse
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  4. J. P. Lena
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Noirard.

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Noirard, C., Le Berre, M., Ramousse, R. et al. Seasonal variation of thermoregulatory behaviour in the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). J Ethol 26, 191–193 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-007-0052-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-007-0052-1

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