Dynamics of the Body Temperature and Locomotor Activity of the Northern Mole Vole (Ellobius talpinus, Cricetidae, Rodentia) in the Warm Season of the Year

To study seasonal thermoregulatory adaptations in small mammals of temperate latitudes, implantable loggers were used that continuously record the body temperature and activity of animals. The data obtained with loggers were recorded in five individuals of the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus) remaining in their natural habitat throughout the warm season of the year (May–October). The average and minimum body temperatures in the summer months were significantly higher than those in spring and autumn. The locomotor activity showed similar dynamics. The acrophase of the daily rhythms of body temperature in all months occurred in the morning; the activity in the evening. The circadian rhythms of both indexes had the maximum power in summer and faded in the autumn and spring. A comparison of the data obtained with the results of similar observations performed in the cold season of the year (October–April) made it possible to trace a full seasonal cycle of body temperature dynamics and locomotor activity and to confirm the absence of deep hypothermia bouts in the northern mole vole.