Volume and Turnover of Body Water in Dipodomys deserti with Tritiated Water. ∗

Abstract

Summary

Mean exchangeable body water content (± σ), as measured by the tritium water dilution method, was 62.37 ± 2.16% of the body weight for 20 Kangaroo rats (D. descrti). When maintained on a diet of pearled barley only, 2 groups of animals showed mean turnover times for exchangeable body water of 13.9 and 22.1 days. This is much longer than that found in the ordinary white rat and in other mammals and presents an adaptation to a xeric environment.