Rhinarium temperature dynamics in domestic dogs |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States;2. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, United States;3. Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, United States;4. Bioinformatics Research Center, Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States;5. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States;1. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy;2. School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III da Varano, 62032 Camerino (MC), Italy;1. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, College of Grassland and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China;2. Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA;3. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA |
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| Abstract: | Many mammals have specialized nose-tips with glabrous and often wet skin, called rhinaria. The function of the rhinarium is unknown in most species. Rhinaria differ not only in shape and skin structure, but also in skin temperature. They are considerably colder in carnivorans than in herbivorous artio- and perissodactyls. Domestic dogs are carnivorans and their noses often feel cold, such that they can be used as an abundant and easily accessible model species. We performed a study on rhinarium temperature in dogs under various ambient temperatures as well as in different behavioral and physiological contexts, breeds, and age groups. The rhinaria of adult, alert, and comfortable dogs are colder than ambient temperature from 30 °C (approximately 5 °C colder) down to a break point at about 15 °C. At an ambient temperature of 0 °C, rhinarium temperature is approximately 8 °C and the decrease in skin surface temperature with decreasing ambient temperature has not yet leveled off. The dog rhinarium warms up under a number of circumstances. In contrast to the continuously warm rhinaria of herbivores, our results suggest strongly that the cold state is the operating state of the dog rhinarium. |
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| Keywords: | Dog Rhinarium Temperature dynamics Ambient temperature Behavioral context Age |
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