GROOMING SECRETIONS AND SEASONAL ADAPTATIONS IN THE BLIND MOLE-RAT (SPALAX-EHRENBERGI)

The postulated thermoregulatory function of grooming in the ''blind'' mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi), a solitary, highly aggressive subterrane an rodent, was tested by subjecting individuals to extreme hot and col d environments and measuring their grooming frequency and thermoregula tory capacity. it was found that exposure to heat stress during both t he winter and the summer failed to elicit grooming in isolated mole ra ts, even though their body temperature was significantly elevated. Thu s, unlike Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), mole rats do not seem to have a mechanism for lowering body temperature by grooming. Ho wever, at low temperatures, grooming behavior significantly increased during both seasons, although a decline in body temperature was record ed only during the summer. Because grooming in mole rats expresses Har derian lipids onto the fur, it is suggested that in the winter, under cold stress, this behavior might prevent a drop in body temperature th rough spreading insulating Harderian lipids.