A decrease in heat insulation of the black-clawed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys melanonyx, Petter) during adaptation to high altitudes

The results of the body-surface infrared thermography of rodents of the genus Lophuromys suggest that heat insulation of the black-clawed brush-furred rat L. melanonyx , a large specialized species of the AfroAlpine zone, is worse than that of the related smaller species, the golden-footed ( L. chrysopus ) and shorttailed ( L. brevicaudus ) brush-furred rats, that inhabit tropical forest and Erica shrub, respectively. A decrease in heat insulation of the alpine species may facilitate the use of solar radiation for supporting heat balance of these diurnal animals.