Abstract
Information about the relations between day length and the breeding season of the female ferret has been accumulating for almost fifty years. Here we take stock of the present state of knowledge, discuss the way in which changing day lengths control or modify the annual cycle of the ferret, how much is known about the neuroendocrine mechanisms by which the reproductive system responds to these changes, how the ferret compares with other species, and whether any basic relationships between annual and other rhythms can be detected. We pay particular attention to the pineal gland, since its role in seasonal breeding is being established, and it is time to consider whether such a role is securely based on experimental evidence.
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Herbert, J., Klinowska, M. (1978). Day Length and the Annual Reproductive Cycle in the Ferret (Mustela furo): the Role of the Pineal Body. In: Assenmacher, I., Farner, D.S. (eds) Environmental Endocrinology. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66981-1_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66981-1_17
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