Siberian hamsters tell us about seasonal clocks
Posted by staff / September 24, 2013 Brian Prendergastinternal clocksSiberian hamsterSiberian hamsters
The Siberian hamster makes a uniquely good subject for studying seasonal timekeeping.As days shorten in the fall, males lose approximately 30 percent of their body mass, their fur moults, and their testes decrease significantly in size.
“The changes are so profound that the hamster almost looks like another animal,” says Brian Prendergast, professor in psychology at the University of Chicago.
Many animals, including humans, have internal clocks and calendars to help them regulate behavior, physiological functions and biological processes. Although scientists have extensively studied the timekeeping mechanisms that inform daily functions (circadian rhythms), they know very little about the timekeeping mechanisms that inform seasonal functions.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: Tyler Stevenson
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