Physiological convergence amongst ant‐eating and termite‐eating mammals
Abstract
Ant‐ and termite‐eating are among the few food habits common to monotremes, marsupials, and eutherians. Data are reported on the rate of metabolism and temperature regulation of 14 species of mammals having these food habits, including two monotremes, one marsupial and 11 eutherians. Small mammals with these habits have comparatively high body temperatures and high basal rates of metabolism, but ant‐ and termite‐eaters that weigh more than 1 kg generally have low body temperatures and low basal rates of metabolism. The higher basal rates in small species ensure effective temperature regulation. Low body temperatures in large species principally result from low rates of metabolism. Rates of metabolism are low in these mammals because they use a food that has a limited availability and a low energy density, the density being further decreased in large species by the ingestion of non‐nutritive material during feeding. Burrowing habits in some large species also contribute to low rates of metabolism. The combination of body size, food habits, and presence or absence of burrowing behaviour can account for all but about 6% of the range in basal rate in ant‐ and termite‐eaters. Ants and termites, because of their locally clumped distributions, permit a larger mass in terrestrial predators than do other invertebrate prey. The reason why so many “primitive” mammals feed on ants and termites is that, once evolved, mammals with these habits are nearly impossible to displace ecologically…
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These low caloric dense foods are not abundant enough to permit their predators to maintain constant or periodic high rates of energy expenditure.
“Additionally, these low caloric dense foods are not abundant enough to permit their predators to maintain constant or periodic high rates of energy expenditure (McNab, 1984).”
From Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i> (2021) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
Pangolins ingest both the prey and non-digestible debris of their prey.
“Pangolin will ingest both the prey and non‐digestible debris of its prey (McNab, 1984).”
From Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i> (2021) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
The ingestion of non-digestible debris reduces the nutritional and caloric density of the food.
“The ingestion of non‐digestible debris will reduce the nutritional and caloric density of the food (McNab, 1984).”
From Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i> (2021) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
McNab (1984) found the body temperatures of a juvenile male and an adult female Sunda pangolin to be 31.7°C and 32.3°C, respectively.
“McNab (1984) found the body temperatures of a juvenile male and an adult female Sunda pangolin to be 31.7°C and 32.3°C, respectively.”
From Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i> (2021) · cites this paper as McNab (1984)
The low body temperatures in pangolins are possibly due to the low metabolic rates of the species.
“The low body temperatures in pangolins are possibly due to the low metabolic rates of species.”
From Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i> (2021) · cites this paper as McNab (1984)
The body temperature of pangolins is lower than that of other placental mammals of similar size, likely reflecting their low metabolic rate.
“The body temperature of pangolins has been found to be lower than that of other placental mammals of similar size, likely reflecting their low metabolic rate (McNab, 1984; Griebeler and Werner, 2016; Boyles et al., 2019).”
From Temminck’s pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment (2023) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
The lowest body temperature recorded for a pangolin in this study (28.9°C in March 2016) was within the range of minimum body temperatures recorded previously for captive animals (~27.6-33.4°C) and similar to that recorded for a wild pangolin (29.5°C).
“The lowest body temperature recorded for a pangolin in our study (28.9°C in March 2016) was within the range of minimum body temperatures recorded previously for captive animals (~27.6–33.4°C; McNab, 1984; Heath and Hammel, 1986; Heath, 1987; Yu et al., 2021) and similar to that recorded for a wild pangolin (29.5°C; Pietersen, 2013).”
From Temminck’s pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment (2023) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
The highest absolute maximum body temperature measured in this study (38.2°C) was higher than the maximum body temperatures reported previously for any pangolin species in captivity (33.9-37.8°C) and almost 3°C higher than that previously reported for a wild Temminck's pangolin (35.4°C).
“The highest (absolute maximum) body temperature (38.2°C) we measured was higher than the maximum body temperatures reported previously for any pangolin species in captivity (33.9–37.8°C, Jones, 1973; McNab, 1984; Heath and Hammel, 1986; Heath, 1987; Boyles et al., 2019; Challender et al., 2020; Yu et al., 2021) and almost 3°C higher than that previously reported for a wild Temminck’s pangolin (35.”
From Temminck’s pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment (2023) · cites this paper as McNab, 1984
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Williams, J. B., Anderson, M. D., & Richardson, P. R. K. (1997) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[2588:sdifmw]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Panaino, W., Parrini, F., Kamerman, P. R., Hetem, R. S., Meyer, L. C. R., Smith, D., van Dyk, G., & Fuller, A. (2023) · Conservation Physiology · doi:10.1093/conphys/coad068 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Body temperatures of <i>Manis pentadactyla</i> and <i>Manis javanica</i>
Yu, Y., Wu, S., Wang, W., Mahmood, A., & Zhang, F. (2021) · Veterinary Medicine and Science · doi:10.1002/vms3.611 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- McNab, B. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- McNab, Brian K.
- ORCID
- McNab, Brian K.
- Venue
- Journal of Zoology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1984-08
- Volume
- 203
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 485-510
- ISSN
- 0952-8369 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7998
- OpenAlex
- W2070927381
- Cited by
- 239
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 3.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Zoology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Keywords
- basal metabolic rate, thermoregulation, body size, burrowing behavior, ecological replacement, monotremes, marsupials, placental mammals, invertebrate prey, energy density, reproductive rate
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