Internal convective and conductive heat loss in the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus

Abstract

1. 1. Intestinal temperatures of 10 mudpuppies ( Necturus maculosus) subjected to an instantaneous decrease of 6.0°C in water temperature were monitored while animals were alive, alive with gills tied and dead. 2. 2. The rates of cooling: alive > alive gills tied > dead, were consistent in all animals. 3. 3. Comparisons of data for live and dead mudpuppies indicated that conduction accounted for a mean of 68.5 and therefore convection 31.5% of total heat loss in these experiments. 4. 4. The external gills were the site of approximately half (54.4%) of total internal convective heat transfer with the remainder occurring through the body surface.