Body temperature patterns during hibernation in a free-living Alaska marmot (Marmota broweri)

Abstract

Marmota broweri is endemic to arctic Alaska. We implanted data loggers into one free-living subadult female in August 2007 to record body temperature (T_b). Seasonal heterothermy lasted for 224 days (10 September to 21 April). Midwinter torpor bout length (mean ± SD) was 13.91 ± 3.56 days and duration of interbout euthermy was 18.43 ± 2.55 hr. Unlike other marmot species, torpor entry during midwinter was consistently characterized by two distinct cooling rates differing by about 10-fold and separated by a transient temperature increase. Minimum hibernaculum temperature was − 14.97 °C in February (7 month mean: − 7.33 °C). Minimum T_b was 1.01 °C when defending a 15.5 °C thermal gradient. At least six animals emerged from the hibernaculum suggesting that communal hibernation may be a strategy to reduce metabolic costs while maintaining above-freezing T_b.

Keywords:

• Marmota broweri
• marmot
• hibernation
• body temperature
• hibernaculum temperature
• cooling rate
• Arctic