| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 1997 |
| Authors: | M. Viljoen, van der Merwe, M., Bower, G., Levay, P. F., Grobler, A. S. |
| Journal: | S. Afr. J. Sci. |
| Volume: | 93 |
| Pagination: | 414-418 |
| Date Published: | 1997 |
| Keywords: | blood, Chiroptera, erythrocyte counts, haematology, haemoglobin, Miniopteridae, Miniopterus natalensis, oxygen carrying capacity, physiology, South Africa |
| Abstract: | The high erythrocyte count of bats is generally considered an adaptation for the high metabolic requirements of flight. The results from 24 gravid Schreibers’ long-fingered bats, used in this experiment, showed a high erythrocyte count (11.04 ± 0.72 x 10^12 l-1) of small cells (mean cell volume = 51.23 ± 0.86 fl) and a resultant haemoglobin concentration of 18.35 ± 1.11 g dl-1. There were indications of two different erythrocyte populations present in the circulation and a degree of polychromasia was observed in 50% of smears. Two haemoglobin components were consistently seen on Paragon alkaline haemoglobin gels, and the haemoglobin electrophoretic mobility was markedly lower than that of human blood. Lymphocytes represented the largest percentage (54.9%) of white blood cells. Neutrophils demonstrated overt hypersegmentation, with their granules, if present, not staining with either Wright’s stain or haematoxylin and eosin. We conclude that haemoglobin concentration rather than erythrocyte counts should be taken as a reflection of oxygen carrying capacity as the high count of smaller erythrocytes represents diffusion and haemorrheological, rather than oxygen-carrying adaptations. |