Oscillating heat flow from rabbit's pinna.

Thermal characteristics of the pinnae of the ears of New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were measured with an infrared imaging system, and vasomotor oscillations were observed to occur spontaneously in the pinnae of all rabbits at an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C. Measured fluctuations in surface temperature were used to characterize the observed vasomotor oscillations, whereas heat loss from the pinnae was calculated using the mean pinna temperatures. The pulsing related to thermoregulation had a mean frequency of approximately 0.025 Hz with a mean amplitude of approximately 0.35 degrees C. When surface temperature was measured simultaneously from both pinnae of individual rabbits, the thermal pulsing was synchronous in the two pinnae. Many of the characteristics of the vasomotor rhythm measured in the pinnae of rabbits were consistent with an active and controlled oscillation, and a possible thermoregulatory role for a controlled vasomotor oscillation is discussed.