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Hibernation in Malagasy mouse lemurs as a strategy to counter environmental challenge

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Abstract

The spiny forest of southwestern Madagascar is the driest and most unpredictable region of the island. It is characterized by a pronounced seasonality with high fluctuations in ambient temperature, low availability of food, and a lack of water during the cool dry season and, additionally, by changes in environmental conditions between years. One of the few mammalian species that manages to inhabit this challenging habitat is the reddish-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus). The aim of our study was to determine whether this small primate uses continuous hibernation as an energy saving strategy, and if so, to characterize its physiological properties. We measured skin temperature of 16 free-ranging individuals continuously over 3 months during the cool dry season using collar temperature data loggers. Prolonged hibernation was found in three mouse lemurs and was not sex dependent (one male, two females). Skin temperature of hibernating individuals tracked ambient temperature passively with a minimum skin temperature of 6.5°C and fluctuated strongly each day (up to 20°C), depending on the insulation capacity of the hibernacula. Individuals remained in continuous hibernation even at an ambient temperature of 37°C. The animals hibernated continuously during the dry season, and hibernation bouts were only interrupted by short spontaneous arousals. The study emphasizes that hibernation is an important measure to counter environmental challenge for more tropical species than previously thought, including primates. It furthermore provides evidence that tropical hibernation is functionally similar among tropical species.

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Acknowledgements

The study has been conducted under the Accord de Collaboration between the Université d’Antananarivo (Département de Biologie Animale, Département d’Anthropologie et de Biologie Evolutive, Département de Biologie et Ecologie Végétale: Prof. Dres. Daniel Rakotondravony, Olga Ramilijaona, Charlotte Rajeriarison, and Edmond Roger), ANGAP (now MNP), and Hamburg University. We thank ANGAP/MNP for their hospitality and permission to work in Tsimanampetsotsa. J. Ganzhorn, P. Giertz, D. Rakotomalala, J. Rakotomalala, and J. Rakotondranary supported the field project in numerous ways. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. The studies were supported by the DFG (Ga 342/14-1, 15-1), BMZ/GTZ, WWF Germany, and WWF Madagascar. All experiments comply with the current laws of the country where they were performed.

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, Hamburg University, Biozentrum Grindel, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Susanne Kobbe & Kathrin H. Dausmann

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  1. Susanne Kobbe
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  2. Kathrin H. Dausmann
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Correspondence to Susanne Kobbe.

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Kobbe, S., Dausmann, K.H. Hibernation in Malagasy mouse lemurs as a strategy to counter environmental challenge. Naturwissenschaften 96, 1221–1227 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-009-0580-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-009-0580-3

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