Abstract
1. Rates of oxygen consumption were measured during locomotion in five species of marsupials of the family Dasyuridae. The body weights of the animals ranged between 0.15 and 1.12 kilograms. 2. The rate of change of power input with speed was generally lower than equivalent eutherian values. The extrapolation to zero speed was consistently a higher multiple of resting metabolic levels than found in eutherians. 3. The minimum cost of locomotion (Mrun) as a function of body mass (wt) is described by the equationMrun=4.75 wt−0.34. The exponent is similar to that described for eutherians and reptiles, but the constant term is significantly lower. 4. Metabolic scope in these animals is similar over the size range used and may be greater than in eutherians. 5. Heat dissipation during locomotion has been partitioned into evaporative and non-evaporative routes. Storage of heat during locomotion was never more than fifty per cent of total production.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
