Dill D B, Soholt L F, Morris J D
J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1978 Jan;44(1):17-20. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1978.44.1.17.
Kangaroo rats deprived of food ran themselves to death in 48 h in wheel cages. Despite the loss of 14.5% of body weight the ratio of water to protein was the same after the run as it was in control rats. Metabolic measurements at rest and in the running wheel and weight loss in the 48-h run were used to estimate fuels used and water expended. Two-thirds of the initial amount of fat and 9% of the protein were metabolized. The terminal mean percentage of body fat was about twice that observed in rats trapped in the spring of 1967, when seed production was low: death in the 48-h run could not have been due to depletion of body fat alone. The powerful activity drive seen in hungary kangaroo rats presumably is intensified in dry years when food is scarce and may deplete their reserves enough to result in death from starvation.
被剥夺食物的更格卢鼠在轮笼中48小时内会自行跑死。尽管体重减轻了14.5%，但跑完后水与蛋白质的比例与对照鼠相同。通过对静止状态、在转轮中以及48小时跑步过程中的代谢测量和体重减轻情况来估算所使用的燃料和消耗的水。初始脂肪量的三分之二和9%的蛋白质被代谢。身体脂肪的最终平均百分比约为1967年春季捕获的大鼠的两倍，当时种子产量很低：48小时跑步中的死亡不可能仅仅是由于身体脂肪耗尽。在干旱年份，当食物稀缺时，匈牙利更格卢鼠身上表现出的强烈活动驱动力可能会增强，这可能会使其储备消耗到足以导致饥饿死亡的程度。
