Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ventilation Patterns In Red Kangaroos (Macropus Rufus Desmarest): Juveniles Work Harder Than Adults At Thermal Extremes, But Extract More Oxygen Per Breath At Thermoneutrality, Adam J. Munn, Terence J. Dawson, Shane K. Maloney

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Juvenile mortalities in large mammals are usually associated with environmental extremes, but the basis for this vulnerability is often unclear. Because of their high surface area to volume ratio, juveniles are expected to suffer greater thermal stresses relative to adults. Coping with thermal stress requires the ventilatory system to accommodate increases in oxygen demand and respiratory water loss at thermal extremes. Because juveniles are smaller than adults, these demands may set up different constraints on their ventilatory system. Using red kangaroos (Macropus rufus Desmarest), an arid zone species, we compared the ventilatory capabilities of juveniles and adults at thermoneutral (25 …