Monitoring reproduction in cryptic small mammals; using body temperature to identify parturition in an endangered rodent

As biodiversity continues to decline, accurate monitoring of endangered species reproduction has become essential for informed conservation strategies. However, tracking reproductive events in cryptic species, such as burrowing mammal, can pose serious technical challenges. Reproduction often affects body temperature (T°b) in mammals. In this study, we propose to exploit T°b monitoring as an alternative method to detect parturition events in a cryptic rodent, the common hamster Cricetus cricetus. The T°b of hamsters was monitored throughout the reproductive season in controlled conditions (n=19 females) and in a mesocosm (n=67 females). In the laboratory, females showed elevated T°b from male arrival to the end of pup rearing. T°b characteristically varied on parturition days, when females showed a rapid rise in mean daily T°b (