Date: October 31, 2018
Source: University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna
Edible dormice are extremely
long-lived for their size thanks to their seasonal dormancy. The animals are
veritable record holders in this "discipline," with hibernation
periods lasting between at least six and a maximum of eleven months. The
factors influencing the variable duration of the hibernation period, apart from
the specific environmental conditions, have so far been unknown. Researchers at
Vetmeduni Vienna hypothesised that older animals should shorten their winter
dormancy in favour of a reproductive advantage. This hypothesis has now been
confirmed in a database analysis, published in Scientific Reports, of
dormice populations living in large outdoor enclosures. The shortened winter
hibernation of aging males and females were due to an increase in reproductive
activity. Older animals also delay the onset of hibernation and emerge earlier
in the season.
Mammals usually have a clear correlation
between body size and life history, with smaller species tending to have a
shorter lifespan. Various strategies exist, however, through which small
mammals, including several species of rodents, can extend their lifespan. One
of the most successful of these strategies, besides flight or arboreality to
escape ground predation, is hibernation. Animals like the edible dormouse (Glis
glis) hibernate to avoid predators and to get through seasonal periods of low
food availability. Dormice are true "sleepyheads," with an average
length of dormancy between eight and nine months. The benefit of torpor, with a
considerably reduced metabolism, is an exceptionally high life expectancy of up
to 13 years. This makes them the Methuselah among the otherwise short-lived
small rodents.
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