The Relation of Coloration in Mammals to Low Temperature

Svihla, Arthur

doi:10.2307/1376738

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Therefore, the dark hair band was involved in absorption of more radiant heat and appears to have little influence on overall hair length and therefore likely did not affect insulation. The thermal advantages of darker hair or skin have been well established (Scholander 1955;Svihla 1956;Burtt 1981), with dark hair typically absorbing more energy in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths than lighter hair (McNab 2002). The length of the dark hair band in fat-tailed dunnarts did not influence and was not influenced by the total hair length, so this dark band did not affect the overall insulative efficiency of the coat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The functional requirements of mammalian hair: a compromise between crypsis and thermoregulation?

Wacker

McAllan

Körtner

et al. 2016

Sci Nat

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Mammalian fur often shows agouti banding with a proximal dark band near the skin and a lighter distal band. We examined the function of both bands in relation to camouflage, thermal properties of pelts, and thermal energetics of dunnarts (Sminthopsis crassicaudata), which are known to use torpor and basking. Although the distal band of dunnart fur darkened with increasing latitude, which is important for camouflage, it did not affect the thermal properties and the length of the dark band and total hair length were not correlated. In contrast, the length of the proximal dark band of preserved pelts exposed to sunlight was positively correlated (r (2) = 0.59) with the temperature underneath the pelt (T pelt). All dunnarts offered radiant heat basked by exposing the dark band of the hair during both rest and torpor. Basking dunnarts with longer dark bands had lower resting metabolism (r (2) = 0.69), warmed faster from torpor (r (2) = 0.77), required less energy to do so (r (2) = 0.32), and reached a higher subcutaneous temperature (T sub) at the end of rewarming (r (2) = 0.75). We provide the first experimental evidence on the possible dual function of the color banding of mammalian fur. The distal colored band appears to be important for camouflage, whereas the length of the dark proximal hair band facilitates heat gain for energy conservation and allows animals to rewarm quickly and economically from torpor.

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