Re: HELP DESPERATELY NEEDED

[Jeff Poling <jpoling@dinosauria.com>]

At 09:02 AM 11/20/96 +1030, Gautam Majumdar wrote:
>In article <v01540b06aeb53b50871e@[129.127.84.36]>, Jeff Poling
><jpoling@dinosauria.com> wrote
>
>>   There is at least one ectothermic mammal, the naked mole rat, and two
>>scaled mammals, the armadillo and rat (my ref. was published in 1987, so
>>this may be out of date.  As of 1987, though, the scales were considered
>>"reptilian", not conglomerated hairs like the scales of pangolins).
>>
>Is the naked mole rat  (Heterocephalus glaber) truely an ectotherm ?

   This is the 20,000,000,0000 dollar question.  According to the
definitions I got out of Horner's _Digging Dinosaurs_ the term
ecto/endotherm refers to temperature regulation.  NMR is ectothermic (its
body temperature matches that of its environment) and is homeothermic (its
body temperature stays within a small range; apparently maintaining it above
ambient temperature is not required).  If Dr. Horner is in error, then so am
I.  Unfortunately, that's all I can say on the subject, somebody with actual
training in the science will have to take it from here.

   I should point out, however, that there is another source of energy for
the rats in their burrows:  food.

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