Effects of Social Behavior, Sex, and Ambient Temperature on the Endogenous Diel Body Temperature Cycle of the Old Field Mouse, Peromyscus polionotus

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Abstract
Temperature relationships of the social species, Peromycus polionotus, were studied in the field and in the laboratory. The temperature of the air in the nest cavity is positively correlated with the temperature of the surrounding soil. The mice do not contribute any appreciable amount of heat to the burrow air. Animals regulate their body temperature at 12 and 24[degree] C but show significant variation in mean body temperature between individual animals and between sexes. A significant diel body temperature cycle with a mean maximum value of 38.3[degree] C occurring at 4:00 A.M. and a mean minimum value of 36.2[degree] C occurring at 4:00 P.M. is characteristic of P. polionotus. Body temperatures are further reduced by social facilitation.