2013/07/24 by Robyn S. Hetem, Duncan Mitchell, Brenda A. de Witt +4 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Animal science #Bat Biology and Ecology Studies #Biology #Ecology #Endocrinology #Heat stress #Hyperthermia #Lower body #Metabolic rate #Physical medicine and rehabilitation #Physiological and biochemical adaptations #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Zoology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0472
openalex publication_date 2013/07/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Hunting cheetah reportedly store metabolic heat during the chase and abandon chases because they overheat. Using biologging to remotely measure the body temperature (every minute) and locomotor activity (every 5 min) of four free-living cheetah, hunting spontaneously, we found that cheetah abandoned hunts, but not because they overheated. Body temperature averaged 38.4°C when the chase was terminated. Storage of metabolic heat did not compromise hunts. The increase in body temperature following a successful hunt was double that of an unsuccessful hunt (1.3°C ± 0.2°C versus 0.5°C ± 0.1°C), even though the level of activity during the hunts was similar. We propose that the increase in body temperature following a successful hunt is a stress hyperthermia, rather than an exercise-induced hyperthermia.