Daily Activity and Body Temperature of the Sable (Martes zibellina Linnaeus, 1758) (Mustelidae, Mammalia) in Cage Conditions in Yakutia

The results of our observations of the behavior of farm sables on a fur farm located 100 km south of Yakutsk are presented. The behavior was analyzed on video recordings obtained with the help of outdoor video cameras, around the clock throughout the year. The observations showed a significant correlation between the time of use of the insulated shelter and the maximum (r = 0.68; α ≤ 0.01) and minimum (r = 0.66; α ≤ 0.01) air temperatures. The longest stay outside the shelter was observed in the spring and summer periods. With the transition of daytime temperatures above the zero mark in April, the sables almost ceased to use insulated shelters. During the hottest days of the summer period, the use of shelters increased again. There was almost no activity during the whole day. The longest stay of sables in insulated shelters was in December (on average, 16–17 h) and January–February (on average, about 18 h). In January–February, their activity prevailed in the evening (19.9 and 27.9%, respectively). From March to August, the greatest activity was confined to the night period (29.8–44.9% of the total time of the period). In September–December, the activation of sables was observed in the morning period, from 6 a.m. to noon (43.3–58.4%). At night, the sables were active, on average, 27.6 ± 4.0% of the total time of the period. In the morning, this indicator was 28.3 ± 5.4%. The lowest activity was recorded in the afternoon—19.4 ± 4.8%. In the evening, the activity of the animals increased up to 24.6 ± 2.8%. The annual dynamics of the body temperature of the studied farm sable correlates with the ambient temperature (r = 0.41; α ≤ 0.050). The lowest average daily body temperatures were recorded in January (+36.8 ± 0.03°C; n =744; limit from +33.9 to +38.53°C), the highest were in July (+37.2 ± 0.02°C; n = 744; limit from +34.9 to +38.8°C). A comparison of the indicators providing cold tolerance in caged animals and sables from natural populations showed almost identical results.