Document Type

Research

Abstract

Body temperatures were recorded earlier from raccoons tethered outdoors in extreme cold. There was no suppression in body temperature. Later, two events suggested a new study, this time on heart rates: (1) the development of implantable radio-capsules for heart rate and EKG, and (2) the information that bears develop a bradycardia in the winter den, slowing sleeping heart rates from 40 b/m to 8-15 b/m. Three raccoons were studied periodically in outdoor dens in midwinter with Iowa implanted radio-capsules. Unlike the bears, when the raccoons stayed indoors for several days due to severe weather, their sleeping heart rates went up, instead of down. The explanations may be: (1) they were yearling raccoons, and (2) the winter was unusually mild. The experiment will be repeated with older animals.

Publication Date

1968

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

Issue

First Page

301

Last Page

305

Copyright

Language

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Folk, G. Edgar Jr.; Coady, Karen B.; and Folk, Mary A. (1968) "Physiological Observations on Raccoons in Winter," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 75(1), 301-305.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol75/iss1/41

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Physiological Observations on Raccoons in Winter

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