Sexual Difference in the Survival Time of Rats Exposed to a Low Ambient Temperature

¹ From the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

Mature and immature rats of both sexes were exposed to an ambient temperature of 2 ± 2°C. A marked sexual dimorphism in survival time during exposure to cold first appeared in the rats at the age of 60 days and comparable results were obtained with rats at 120 days of age. In both instances the females survived for a much longer period in the cold than the male. Castration had no effect in the female but increased survival time in the male. Pretreatment with daily doses of 0.1 µg of estradiol had no effect while testosterone propionate at dosages of 1 and 5 mg decreased survival time.

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