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The locomotory activity patterns of a functionally complete colony of Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus (Rodentia: Bathyergidae)
Author(s) -
Bennett N. C.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04446.x
Subject(s) - burrow , biology , nocturnal , zoology , nest (protein structural motif) , circadian rhythm , ecology , biochemistry , neuroscience
The locomotory activity patterns of a colony of eight field‐captured mole‐rats housed in a transparent burrow system were monitored for a total of 240 hours. Movement along the burrow system was recorded for all hours of the 24‐hour chronological day for 10 days. Intermittent periods of activity were characteristic for all the mole‐rats in the colony. The lack of a distinct sleeping period reflects the asynchrony of each mole‐rat's activity cycle with that of other colony members. There are four major peaks of activity during the 24‐hour cycle and an absence of a well‐defined diurnal or nocturnal phase to the activity cycle. The nest area is a focal point in the burrow system with individuals spending between 36 and 81% of the day there. There is a positive correlation between the size of a group of sleeping mole‐rats in the nest and the frequency of occurrence.