Abstract
HUMMINGBIRDS have been of interest to physiologists for many years due to their small size and high metabolic rate. When it became apparent that these birds could be maintained under laboratory conditions1 and then studied in regard to various physiological parameters, it appeared of interest to examine the role of the thyroid gland in relation to metabolism. Diurnal torpidity has been demonstrated in two species of hummingbirds2,3, and recent studies1 on several other species have quantified the relationship of the active, sleeping and torpid metabolic states to ambient temperature. Although the causes and implications of the torpid state are incompletely understood, it was felt that perhaps the function of the thyroid gland might be related to the metabolic state. Seven hummingbirds that had been maintained under laboratory conditions for nine months were each injected beneath the skin with 1 µc. of carrier-free iodine-131 in a volume of 0.05 c.c. At selected intervals after administration of the isotope, the birds were killed by ether and the thyroid glands removed. The thyroid glands were counted with a probable error not exceeding 1 per cent in a well-type scintillation detector against suitable standards of the original iodine-131 solution. The time of injections was arranged so that the period of accumulation of iodine-131 occurred in birds that were either active, asleep or torpid.
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SHELLABARGER, C., LASIEWSKI, R. & HYNCIK, G. Thyroid Function in Active, Sleeping and Torpid Hummingbirds. Nature 191, 1318 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/1911318a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1911318a0
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