Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Integr Comp Biol. 2011 Sep;51(3):349-63. doi: 10.1093/icb/icr035. Epub 2011 Jun 25.
Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of Afrotropical endotherms known to avoid mismatches between energy supply and demand by using daily torpor and/or hibernation. Among mammals, heterothermy has been reported in 40 species in six orders, namely Macroscelidea, Afrosoricida, Rodentia, Eulipotyphla, Primates and Chiroptera. These species span a range in body mass of 7-770 g, with minimum heterothermic body temperatures ranging from 1-27°C and bout length varying from 1 h to 70 days. Daily torpor is the most common form of heterothermy, with true hibernation being observed in only seven species, Graphiurus murinus, Graphiurus ocularis, Atelerix frontalis, Cheirogaleus medius, Cheirogaleus major, Microcebus murinus and Microcebus griseorufus. The traditional distinction between daily torpor and hibernation is blurred in some species, with free-ranging individuals exhibiting bouts of > 24 h and body temperatures < 16 °C, but none of the classical behaviours associated with hibernation. Several species bask in the sun during rewarming. Among birds, heterothermy has been reported in 16 species in seven orders, and is more pronounced in phylogenetically older taxa. Both in mammals and birds, patterns of heterothermy can vary dramatically among species occurring at a particular site, and even among individuals of a single species. For instance, patterns of heterothermy among cheirogalid primates in western Madagascar vary from daily torpor to uninterrupted hibernation for up to seven months. Other examples of variation among closely-related species involve small owls, elephant shrews and vespertilionid bats. There may also be variation in terms of the ecological correlates of torpor within a species, as is the case in the Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma.
近年来，人们发现越来越多的热带动物通过每天的蛰伏和/或冬眠来避免能量供应和需求之间的不匹配。在哺乳动物中，异温动物已经在六个目中的 40 种中被报道，分别是：巨象目、非洲食蚁兽目、啮齿目、食虫目、灵长目和翼手目。这些物种的体重范围从 7-770 克不等，最低的异温体温从 1-27°C 不等，蛰伏时间从 1 小时到 70 天不等。每天的蛰伏是最常见的异温形式，只有七种物种表现出真正的冬眠，分别是：Graphiurus murinus、Graphiurus ocularis、Atelerix frontalis、Cheirogaleus medius、Cheirogaleus major、Microcebus murinus 和 Microcebus griseorufus。一些物种的日常蛰伏和冬眠之间的传统区别变得模糊，自由生活的个体表现出>24 小时的蛰伏时间和<16°C 的体温，但没有与冬眠相关的任何典型行为。一些物种在复温时会晒太阳。鸟类中，已经在七个目中的 16 种中报道了异温动物，并且在更古老的类群中更为明显。在哺乳动物和鸟类中，特定地点的物种之间以及单个物种的个体之间的异温动物模式可以有很大的变化。例如，马达加斯加西部的手猴类灵长类动物的异温动物模式从日常蛰伏到长达七个月的不间断冬眠都有。其他与近亲物种有关的变异例子涉及小型猫头鹰、象鼩和蝙蝠。在一个物种内，蛰伏的生态相关性也可能存在变异，例如 Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma。
