User:Malgam/Big brown bat

The Big brown bat's tissues are usually saturated in the winter with brown fat. Brown fat is commonly found in small mammalian species that live in colder environments. Brown fat provides the bats with a source of energy to rapidly increase body temperature upon arousal from hibernation (Robert L. Smallley, Robert L. Dryer 1963). The brown fat is loaded with mitochondira that are adapted for heat production. Evidence suggests brown fat to body percentages are higher in winter hibernation than summer (Josefine Rauch, David Beatty 1975). Increased brown fat in the winter aids in thermoregulation when temperatures are very low.

Josefine C. Rauch and David D. Beatty. 1975. Comparison of regional blood distribution in Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat) during torpor (summer), hibernation (winter), and arousal. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 53(2): 207-214. https://doi.org/10.1139/z75-025

Robert L. Smallley, Robert L. Dryer; 1963 ; Brown Fat: Thermogenic Effect during Arousal from Hibernation in the Bat, 1333-1334