Thermoregulation of polecat and raccoon dog: a comparative study with stoat, mink and blue fox.

1. Oxygen consumption (ml X kg0.75 per min) in relation to ambient temperature (Ta) in the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), polecat (Mustela putorius), mink (Mustela vison) and stoat (Mustela erminea) is described by equations y = 14.2 - 0.23x, y = 26.3 - 0.47x, y = 26.9 - 0.33x and y = 39.0 - 1.06x, respectively. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) of blue fox (Alopex lagopus) could be measured only at thermoneutrality. 2. In polecats, calorigenic response to noradrenaline was about 40% above the RMR, while in raccoon dogs it was absent. 3. The cooling constant (per min) of deceased raccoon dogs was similar to that measured for blue fox (0.0008), but considerably higher than that measured for dog (beagle 0.0016) or polecats (0.0023-0.0031).